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a  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872  4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  IVIicroreproductions 


Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  <it  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


^ 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


n 


n 


n 


Couverture  endommagee 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pelliculde 


□    Cover  title  missing/ 
Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

□    Coloured  maps/ 
Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 

□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6X6  filmdes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires; 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquds  ci-dessous. 


□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 


D 
D 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul^es 


I      l-'^Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 


Pages  d6color6es,  tachet^es  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materia 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 


I  I  Pages  detached/ 

I  I  Showthrough/ 

I  I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I  I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partielloment 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  film^es  6  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  i\\m6  au  taux  de  rdduction  indiqu^  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


I         I         I  J 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


tails 
idu 
odifier 
une 
mage 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grSce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  dt<: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6x6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  filmds  an  commenqant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenqant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
\a  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
ampreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —♦-(meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END  "), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — '^signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ,  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  etre 
filmds  d  des  taux  ds  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  etre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film6  6  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  6  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


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THE 


OFFICIAL  GUIDE 


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TO  THE 


KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 


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Gold  Fields  of  Alaska 

With  the  Official  Maps 


^ro/use^y  Siiusiratecl 

is  .  '  ■        ,.:• 

VIVID  DESCRIPTIONS  AND  TlfelLLING 
EXPERIENCES 

THE    MOST    COMPLETE   AND    THOROUGHLY   EXHAUSTIVE    COL 
LECTION  OF  EVERY  KNOWN    INFORMATION   NECESSARY  TO 
A  FULL  REALIZATION    OF  THE    IMMENSE    RESOURCES 
OF  THE  COLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA,  AND  REPLETE 
WITH  AUTHENTIC  INSTRUCTIONS  REGARD- 
ING   HOW   TO    GET   THERE,  WHEN  TO 
GO,  AND  WHAT  TO  DO  WHEN  THE 
NEW    ELDORADO     OF    THE 

GREAT    NORTHWEST     '  :  .  : 
IS     REACHED 


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CHIOflOO: 

W.    B.    OONKEY    COMPrtNY, 

Publishers, 
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Entsred  according  to  act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1897,  by 

W.  B,  CON  KEY  COMPANY. 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at 
Washington. 


Al-L    RIQHTS    HESCRVCa 


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PuBusHCRS'  Notice. 


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Scarcely  a  word  of  explanation  seems  called  for  as 
to  the  issue  of  this  Guide  at  the  present  time.  The 
vast  majority  of  books  are  launched  into  the  world 
with  a  kind  of  half  apology  for  their  coming.  Only 
a  few  can  be  said  to  appear  in  fulfillment  of  a  public 
need.  If  ever  there  was  a  book  issued  to  meet  a  genu- 
ine want  and  in  response  to  a  general  demand  it  is  the 
volume  now  in  the  hands  of  the  reader.  The  name 
of  "Klondyke"  has  suddenly  become  a  talisman.  The 
gold  of  the  Yukon  valley  is  in  the  thought  and  on 
the  lips  of  the  entire  people.  The  brain  and  brawn 
of  the  country  are  joining  in  a  rush  for  wealth  to  the 
Alaskan  wilderness.  Meanwhile  our  new  treasure- 
house  is  comparatively  unknown.  The  information 
concerning  it  is  scant  and  scattered.  This  Guide  pre- 
sents all  there  is  that  can  be  regarded  as  useful  and 
trustworthy.  It  has  been  specially  prepared  for  the 
use  of  intending  gold-seekers.  Tnere  is  living  and  re- 
liable authority  at  the  back  of  almost  every  statement. 
Even  here  we  must  express  our  thanks  for  the  facts 
g^ven  by  transportation  companies  and  by  others  who 
hdve  official  relations  with  Alaska. 

The  maps  themselves  indicate  the  official  source 
from   which  they  were  obtained,  and  the   illustra 
tions  arc  all  true  photographic  reproductions. 


,•'»;■ '' 


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'^•m^'^^iM^.^i'tmiti^^i^: 


CONTENTS. 

\ 

CHAPTER  I.  PAOi 

The  Days  of  97 21 

CHAPTER  H. 
rhcGold  Fever 51 

CHAPTER  III. 
Discovery  and  Location  of  Klondyke 78 

CHAPTER   IV. 
At  the  Klondyke  Mines 104 

CHAPTER  V. 
Romance  of  the  Mines 145 

CHAPTER   VI. 
Life  at  Dawson  City 183 

CHAPTER  Vn. 
To  the  Klondyke  by  Water 207 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Overland  to  the  Klondyke 221 

CHAPTER    IX. 
Transportation — Past,  Present  and  Future 240 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  Two  Governments 258 

CHAPTER   XL 
The  Territory  of  Alaska 276 

^            CHAPTER  XII. 
Resources  of  Alaska 284 


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LIST  or  MAPS. 


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North  American  Transportation  Company's  Map  of  Alaska 
and  route  by  steamer  to  the  Yukon  gold  fields. 

Map  showing  the  three  overland  routes  from  Juneau  to  Lewes 
river  and  the  gold  fields,  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
of  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 

Map  of  Yukon  river  and  its  tributaries,  by  the  Department  of 
the  interior  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 

Map  of  North  America. 

Map  of  Klondyke  river  and  its  affluents,  by  th.  Department  of 
the  Interior  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 

Map  of  Alaska,  showing  known  area  of  gold-producing  rock 
in  1896,  by  J.  Edward  Spurr,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 

Map  of  the  gold  fields  of  the  Northwest. 


\ 


', 


UST  or  lUUSTRATIONS. 

TMM, 

Buster's  40-Milc  Favorite 9 

Supplies  for  Circle  City 10 

Saw  Mill,  Head  of  Lake  Bennett 19 

Russian  Mission,  Lower  River 20 

Crossing  Dyea  River 37 

Placer  Mining,  Miller  Creek 3P 

40-Mile  from  Across  Creek 47 

Group  of  Indian  Children,  Lower  River 48 

First  Meal  After  Leaving  Dyea  ...   57 

Steamer  F.  B.  Weare 58 

Start  of  Raft  on  Lake  Lindeman 75 

Opening  Up  of  a  Claim 76 

Bonanza  Creek  Valley 79 

Juneau.    Bird's-eye  View 85 

Building  The  White  Horse 86 

Wooding  Station,  Lower  River 95 

Group  of  40-Mile  Miners , .     96 

Fort  Cudahy  Warehouses 113 

Steamer  Sea  Lion,  Litauya  Bay 114 

Dog  Team 123 

Pelly  Indians 124 

Group  (if  Miller  Creek  Indians 133 

Steamt  r  Arctic 134 

Mr.  Clarence  Berry .• 146 

Mrs.  Clarence  Berry 148 

Mission,  Fort  Selkirk 151 

60-Mile  Post 152 

Canoes  and  Indian  Village,  Litauya  Bay 161 

Group  of  Esquimaux,  St.  Lawrence  Island 162 

Camp  Life 171 

Trading  Scene  on  Lake  Le  Barge 172 

Joseph  Ladue's  Home 186 

Yakuiat 189 

Caught  in  the  Ice 190 

Indians  Near  Mouth  of  Yukon 199 

Kadiak 200 

Joseph  Ladue 206 

Working  Outfit 220 


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CHAPTER  I. 

THE   DAYS  OF   '97. 

"Klondyke  or  Bust"— Richest  the  World  Has  Known 
— Compared  with  "the  Days  of  '49" — Poor  Mar\'s 
Mines — On  to  the  Klondyke — "Tenderfeet"  Are 
Winners — Made  $1,000  in  a  Day — Big  Wages  for 
Laborers— Has  All  the  Gold  He  Wants— "Che- 
chockoes" — The  Craze — The  Luck  of  a  BoN' — Pan- 
ning in  the  Cabins — A  Happy  Scotchman — Misfor- 
tune Made  Hestwood  Rich — Stanley  Struck  It 
Warm — A  Thousand  in  a  Pan — Found  It  in  Clear 
Water — A  Lot  of  Lucky  Ones — London  Gets  the 
Fever — Tacoma  Goes  Wild — Wall  Street  Has  It — 
The  Mining  Exchange  Crazy — JMany  Syndicates 
Proposed — Keene  and  the  .  I'ondyke — British  Co- 
lumbia Excited — More  Argonauts  Sail  Away — 
Joanquin  Speaks  Again — Going  on  a  Bet. 

This  country  has  been  seized  with  the  gold  fever 
many  times  in  the  last  fifty  years,  but  never  since  the 
yellow  particles  were  first  found  in  the  Sacramento 
Valley  has  there  been  any  such  widespread  interest 
as  is  now  displayed  over  the  Yukon  discoveries.  Men, 
and  even  women,  talk  of  little  else.  In  nearly  every 
city  parties  are  being  organized  to  invade  the  Klon- 
dyke district.  Experienced  miners  who  have  spent 
years  in  Alaska  advise  them  that  the  road  is  beset 
with  hardships,  that  cold  and  hunger  and  probably 
death,  await  many  of  those  who  go  there  at  the  wrong 
season  of  the  year,  but  this  friendly  counsel  has  no 
effect  in  stemming  the  rush. 


»      OFFICIAL  GUIDB  TO  THB  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

Corrobprative  evidence  of  the  richness  of  the  new 
fields  was  received  in  Seattle  in  the  shape  of  $2,000,000 
worth  of  gold  dust,  and  now  the  cry  of  "Klondyke  or 
Bust"  is  raised  in  all  parts  of  the  land.  There  is  noth- 
ing like  the  sight  of  gold  to  incite  a  desire  for  posses- 
sion of  it.  People  will  read  with  calmness  of  rich 
discoveries  in  various  sections  of  the  world  so  long  as 
the  actual  product  itself  is  not  handed  out  for  inspec- 
tion, but  when  the  nuggets  and  dust  are  passed  around 
the  craze  strikes  in  deep  and  lasting.  This  is  the 
secret  of  the  present  Klondyke  excitement. 

For  years  it  has  been  known  there  was  gold  in  the 
Yukon  country,  but  it  was  not  until  an  immense  lot 
of  it  was  brought  back  by  successful  prospectors  that 
the  people  generally  were  seized  with  the  determina- 
tion to  get  some  of  it. 


RICHEST  THE  WORLD  HAS  KNOWN. 

The  United  States  Government  in  1867  paid  Russia 
$7,200,000  for  the  Territory  of  Alaska. 

Alaska  has  paid  back  her  purchase  money  in  gold 
four  times,  having  produced  during  the  time  it  has 
been  a  part  of  the  United  States  about  $30,000,000  of 
the  precious  yellow  metal.  ' 

Today  the  eyes  of  the  world  are  turned  toward  our 
frozen  acquisition  in  the  North,  for  within  its  borders 
has  been  discovered  an  Eldorado,  seemingly  "richer 
than  Pluto's  mine."  Not  long  ago  the  word  Klon- 
dyke, literally  translated  as  Deer  River,  was  known 
only  to  geographers  and  a  few  miners  on  the  Yukon ; 
today  it  is  on  every  tongue  and  is  known  as  the  desig- 
nation, if  the  reports  be  but  half  true,  for  a  gold- 
bearing  district  greater  in  area  and  richer  in  character 
than  any  the  world  has  known,  with  the  possible  ex- 


JikT^ 


AND  THS  GOLD  FlBliOS  OF  ALASKA.  S 

ception  of  California.  Klondyke  is  the  new  c^en 
sesame  to  Aladdin's  cave;  it  supplants  "Pike's  Peak  or 
Bust"  in  the  gold-seeker's  vernacular.  "The  days  of 
'97"  may  become  as  celebrated  a  phrase  as  "the  days 
of  '49,"  for  the  same  fever  that  seized  upon  the  people 
and  dotted  the  Western  prairies  with  emigrant  trains 
bound  for  the  Pacific  Coast  is  now  claiming  victims  by 
the  thousands,  all  eager  to  brave  the  perils  of  the 
Arctic  circle  and  wrest  a  fortune  from  the  frozen  zone. 


COMPARED  WITH  "THE  DAYS  OF  '49. 


>» 


The  reported  gold  discoveries  of  the  present  day  in 
Alaska  and  the  reported  gold  discoveries  of  '49  in 
California  afford  many  parallels.  To  the  average  man 
the  treasures  of  the  Coast  State  were  seemingly  as 
inaccessible  as  are  the  riches  of  the  Yukon  and  its 
tributaries.  One  was  more  than  2,000  miles  across  a 
trackless  desert  and  over  snow-bound  mountain 
passes,  beset  by  savages,  whose  deadly  attacks  marked 
the  trail  with  bleaching  bones  across  the  Western 
States;  the  other  is  nearly  7,000  miles  by  water, 
through  a  rigorous  climate,  or  almost  4,000  miles  by 
land  and  water,  with  mountain  passes  to  scale  as  dan- 
gerous as  those  of  the  Swiss  Alps. 

The  fabulous  tales  of  wealth  sent  out  by  the  Califor- 
nia pioneers  were  no  less  wonderful  than  those 
brought  bade  by  the  men  who  braved  the  last  cold 
season  in  the  Klondyke  mineral  belt,  and  in  both  cases 
those  who  returned  brought  back  with  them  great 
nuggets  of  the  precious  stuff  that  left  little  or  no  doubt 
in  the  mind  of  the  hearer.  The  CaHfornia  miner  in  the 
song  who  had  «o  many  nuggets  that  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  "go  a  hatful  blind"  finds  his  parallel  in  the 
Yukon  miner  who  claims  to  have  "washed  out"  $212 


31      OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THIS  KLONDTKB  COUNTilT 

in  one  panful  of  dirt — z  process  that  requires  ten  or 
twelve  minutes. 

POOR  MAN'S  MINES. 

The  Alaska  and  California  gold  fields  are  alike  also 
in  being  placer  mines.  Placer  mining  is  commonly 
called  "poor  man's  mining,"  for  the  reason  that  it  is 
done  without  machinery,  while  the  implements  re- 
quired in  the  work  are  few  and  of  small  cost.  A  placer 
miner  can  get  along  very  well  with  a  pick,  shovel  and 
gold  pan.  If  the  dirt  is  not  rich  he  can  accomplish 
better  results  by  running  it  through  a  sluice  box,  but 
where  the  yield  is  in  nuggets  instead  of  fine  gold  he 
prefers  to  "pan"  it. 

The  great  Klondyke  strike  was  made  nine  months 
ago,  but  nothing  was  known  of  it  in  the  United  States , 
until  June   15,  when  a  vessel  called  the  Excelsior 
arrived  in  San  Francisco  laden  with  miners  from  the 
Klondyke,  who  in  turn  were  L»den  with  gold. 

They  told  almost  incredible  tciles  of  the  richness  of 
the  newly  discovered  district,  where  fortunes  had  been 
accumulated  in  a  few  months.  Experienced  miners 
and  "tenderfeet"  seemed  to  have  shared  good  fortune 
alike,  and  with  some  justice,  too,  for  the  credit  of  the 
discovery  of  the  new  gold  fields  is  due  to  the  inexpe- 
rienced men. 

Another  vessel  brought  to  Seattle  a  second  party 
of  successful  prospectors  and  a  ton  and  a  half  of  gold. 
These  men  had  endured  peril  and  undergone  great 
hardships  in  accumulating  the  fortunes  they  brought, 
and  they  told  a  story  that  had  a  dark  as  well  as  a 
bright  side.  To  follow  their  example  means  a  risk  of 
wealth,  health  and  even  life,  but  for  those  who  are 
willing  to  take  the  chances  the  prospect  they  hold  out 
is  alluring. 


AND  TfiB  GOUD  FIELDS  OP  AUUIKA. 


ON  TO  THE  KLONDYKE. 

When  gold  can  be  picked  up  in  heavy  tiuggets,  peo- 
ple who  want  to  gather  it  in  its  native  state,  turn  in- 
stantly from  the  slower  processes  of  milling,  crushing, 
smelting  and  all  that,  to  placers  when  they  hear  of  a 
region  where  the  yellow  stuff  "pans  big."  Hence,  at 
this  moment  throughout  the  world  the  cry  and  the 
act  are  "On  to  the  Klondyke." 

The  steamer  Portland  arrived  at  Seattle,  on  Puget 
Sound,  July  17,  1897.  Revelations  from  on  board  set 
Seattle  City  stark  mad,  and  the  crLze  has  spread  over 
the  civilized  earth. 

The  Portland  came  from  St.  Michael's,  Alaska,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  with  at  least  a  million  and  a 
quarter  in  gold  dust  as  freight  and  sixty-eight  miners 
aboard.  .      . 

Some  of  the  miners  had  $75,000,  and  not  one  of 
them  has  less  than  $5,000,  every  dollar  of  which  has 
been  taken  from  the  Klondyke  within  the  year,  and 
most  of  these  men,  with  a  competency  now  in  their 
hands,  have  claims  in  that  fabulously  rich  region  that 
almost  beyond  doubt  will  net  them  hundreds  of  thous- 
ands more. 

In  the  captain's  cabin  were  three  chests  and  a  large 
safe  filled  with  the  precious  nuggets,  most  of  it  taken 
out  of  the  ground  in  less  than  three  months  of  last 
winter.  In  size  the  nuggets  range  from  that  of  a  pea 
to  a  guinea  hen's  tgg. 

"TENDERFEET"  ARE  WINNERS." 

One  peculiar  feature  to  be  noticed  is  that  the  big 
strikes  were  made  by  "tenderfeet,"  while  the  old 
miners  of  many  years'  experience,  after  suffering  inde- 
scribable hardships  and  privations  in  Alaska  and  the 


=i 


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29      OFFICIAL  aUIDB  TO  THB  KLONDTKB!  OOtJNTRT 

Northwest  Territory,  had  only  a  few  thousand  dollars 
to  show  for  their  labor.  Fortune  seemed  to  smile  on 
the  inexperienced  men  who  went  into  the  mining  dis- 
tricts late  last  year,  as  nearly  all  of  them  were  the  most 
fortunate. 

Instances  are  noted  where  single  individuals  have 
taken  out,  in  tv  o  and  a  half  months,  gold  to  the  value 
of  over  $150,000. 

Clarence  Berry  is  regarded  as  the  luckiest  man  on 
the  Klondyke.  With  a  miner  it  is  all  luck;  nothing 
else.  Ten  months  ago  Mr.  Berry  was  a  poor  miner, 
$5,000  in  debt,  but  new  he  is  returned  to  his  home 
in  Fresno,  Cal.,  with  $130,000  in  gold  nuggets  and  a 
claim  in  the  Klondyke  that  will  yet  produce  untold 
wealth.  He  said  rather  modestly:  "Yes,  I've  been 
rather  fortunate.  Last  winter  I  took  out  $130,000  in 
thirty  box  lengths.  A  box  length  is  12  by  15  feet,  and 
in  one  length  I  found  $to,ooo.  Another  time  the  sec- 
ond largest  nugget  ever  found  in  the  Yukon  was  taken 
out  in  my  claim.  It  weighed  thirteen  ounces  and  was 
worth  $231. 

MADE  $1,000  A  DAY. 

"I  have  known  men  to  take  out  $1,000  a  day  from 
a  drift  claim.  Of  course  the  gold  was  found  in  pock- 
ets, and  those  finds,  you  can  rest  assured,  were  very 
scarce.  I  would  not  advise  a  man  to  take  an  outfit 
that  would  cost  less  than  $500.  He  must  expect  to  be 
disappointed,  and  the  chances  are  that  he  may  pros- 
pect for  years  without  finding  a  paying  claim,  and 
again  he  may  be  lucky  enough  to  strike  it  rich. 

"The  country  is  wild,  rough  and  full  of  hardships 
for  those  unused  to  the  rigors  of  Arctic  winters.  If  a 
man  makes  a  fortune  he  is  liable  to  earn  it  by  severe 
hardship  and  sufferings.    But  grit,  perseverance  and 


AND  TKB  OOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


luck  will  probably  reward  a  hard  worker  with  a  com- 
fortable income  for  life." 

Inspector  Strickland  of  the  Canadian  mounted  po- 
lice has  returned  to  Ottawa  on  official  business.  His 
statements  were  guarded  and  conservative.  He  said 
there  were  only  two  mining  districts  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Klondyke  section,  and  they  are  called  the 
"Hunker"  and  "Bonanza"  districts.  He  added: 
"When  I  left  Dawson  City  a  month  ago  there  were 
800  claims  staked  out,  and  there  were  between  2,000 
and  3,000  people  there.  We  can  safely  say  that  there 
was  about  $1,500,000  in  gold  mined  last  winter.  The 
wages  in  the  mines  were  $15  a  day,  and  the  saw  mill 
paid  laborers  $10  a  day. 

BIG  WAGES  FOR  LABORERS. 

"The  claims  now  staked  out  will,  afford  employment 
for  about  5,000  men.  If  a  man  is  strong,  healthy  and 
wants  to  work,  he  can  find  employment  at  good  wages. 
Several  men  worked  on  an  interest  or  what  is  termed 
a  'lay,'  and  during  the  winter  realized  from  $5,000  to 
$10,000  each.  The  mines  arc  from  thirty-five  to  lOO 
miles  from  the  Alaska  boundary." 

William  Stanley,  of  Seattle,  was  among  the  passen- 
gers. He  left  his  son  in  charge  of  his  interests  in  a 
couple  of  claims.  He  went  to  the  Klondyke  last  year 
and  now  returns  with  nearly  $90,000  in  gold. 

Henry  Anderson,  a  native  of  Sweden,    and    well 
known  on  the  Sound,  sold  a  one-half  interest  in  his 
claim  on  Eldorado  Creek  and  came  back  to  Seattle  • 
with  $45,000  spot  cash,  the  proceeds  of  the  sale. 

T.  J.  Kelly  and  son  of  Tacoma,  went  in  last  year 
and  made  $10,000.  The  son  is  in  charge  of  the  claim 
and  the  father  was  among  the  Portland's  passenger*. 


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M      OFFICIAJL  OtJIDB  TO  THB  KLONDTKX  COUmrRT 

Richard  Blake,  o!  Dung^ess,  has  been  successful  and 
is  coming  back  to  the  place  where  he  was  born  and 
reared  with  a  big  sack  full  of  nuggets.  William  Sloan, 
formerly  a  dry  goods  merchant  of  Nanaimo,  B.  C, 
sold  his  claim  for  $52,000,  and  with  the  gold  he  took 
from  the  mine  has  come  back  to  civilization. 

HAS  ALL  THE  GOLD  HE  WANTS. 

Another  man  by  the  name  of  Wilkenson,  of  the 
same  city,  sold  his  claim  for  $40,000,  and  is  back  to 
stay.  Bob  Strong,  of  Port  Townsend,  has  a  good 
claim  and  is  in  a  fair  way  to  make  a  fortune,  but  his 
brother,  William  G.  Strong,  was  not  so  fortunate. 
They  are  both  working  on  the  Eldorado  River.  Jack 
Home  of  Tacoma,  formerly  a  well-known  lightweight 
pugilist  of  Puget  Sound,  went  to  the  Klondyke  last 
fall  and  worked  on  a  "lay,'.'  returning  with  something 
over  $6,000.  Frank  Kellar,  of  Los  Angeles,  brings 
$3S>ooo.  He  went  in  last  year,  mined  during  the  win- 
ter and  in  June  sold  the  claim  for  that  sum. 

Briefly,  such  was  the  story  of  nearly  all  the  miners. 
They  all  had  gold,  and  it  was  piled  about  the  state- 
rooms like  so  much  hand  baggage. 

All  of  the  miners  laid  Q^reat  stress  on  the  necessity 
of  taking  in  plenty  of  supplies,  and  say  that  the  proper 
outfit  will  cost  not  less  than  $500  to  each  man. 

"CHECHOCKOES." 

The  captain  of  the  steamer,  speaking  of  the  passen- 
gers, said:  "These  men  are  every  one  what  the  Yu- 
koners  call  'Chechockoes,'  or  newcomers,  and  up  to 
last  winter  they  had  nothing.  Today  you  see  them 
wealthy  and  happy.  These  fortunate  people  felt  so 
happy  that  anything  would  suffice  for  them.    They 


s^fpgpfwsfjBW^v 


''^■'^fff'^'pf^- 


▲ND  TRB  GOLD  r^OTDS  OP  ALAIKA.  H 

Were  grumblers,  without  a  cent  in  the  world,  and. 
nothing  on  the  boat  was '  good  enough  for  them. 
Some  of  these  successful  miners  do  not  even  own 
claims.  They  have  been  working  for  other  men  for 
$15  a  day,  and  thu&  have  accumulated  small  forttmes. 
Their  average  on  this  boat  is  not  less  than  $10,000  to 
the  man,  and  the  very  smallest  sack  is  $3,000.  It  is 
held  by  C  A.  Branan,  of  Seattle,  a  happy  young  fel- 
low just  18  years  old.  There  is  no  country  on  earth 
like  the  Yukon." 

THE  CRAZE. 

A  telegram  from  Seattle  on  the  date  of  the  Port- 
land's arrival,  said: 

"This  verification  of  reports  of  great  gCiJ  discoveries 
in  Alaska  has  caused  intense  excitement.  All  classes 
of  society  are  represented  in  the  feverish  rush  to  get 
north.  Men  neglect  their  business  and  congregate 
in  groups  on  the  streets  in  excited  discussions.  Peo- 
ple are  telegraphing  friends  and  relatives  to  come  and 
join  them  in  the  new  Eldorado." 


THE  LUCK  OF  A  BOY. 

The  richest  strike  has  been  made  by  a  21 -year-old 
boy  named  George  Hornblower,  of  Indianapolis.  In 
the  heart  of  a  barren  waste  known  as  Boulder  Field 
he  found  a  nugget  for  which  the  transportation  com- 
pany gave  him  $5,700.  He  located  his  claim  at  the 
find  and  in  four  months  had  taken  out  over  $100,000. 

The  richest  section  of  Alaska, Moss  says,  is  as  yet  un- 
developed. It  is  100  miles  from  Klondyke  and  known 
as  The  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta.  It  is  inhabited  by 
ex-convicts  of  Bohemia,  and  murders  and  riots  take 
the  place  of  law  and  order.    A  few  months  ago  the 


«to«»«l|^*^y^.«(tf!4■*«^;^ 


4 


m    owncuxs  ampK  to  trs  klondtxs  oountrt 

Klotidyke  settlers  organized  a  Justice  Committee,  and 
its  law  prevails  there  now. 

With  the  great  crowds  preparing  to  go  to  the  scene 
now,  Moss  says,  hunger  and  suffering  will  be  great, 
when  added  to  other  hardships  to  be  overcome  by 
those  who  survive.  Moss  returned  with  $6,000  in 
dust,  and  left  promptly  for  his  old  home  at  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  where  he  will  spend  the  balance  of  his  years. 

PANNING  IN  THE  CABINS. 

Henry  Lamprecht  writes  from  the  Klondyke  to 
say  that  there  are  miles  of  rich  pay  dirt  all  through 
the  region.  Men  have  taken  a  tub  of  water  into  their 
cabin  and  with  a  pan  "panned  out"  $2,000  in  less 
than  a  day.  This  is  said  to  be  equal  to  about  $40,000 
a  day  in  the  summer  with  sluice  boxes.  They  get 
from  $10  to  $100  a  pan  average  and  a  choice  or  picked 
pan  as  high  as  $250,  and  it  takes  about  thirty  minutes 
to  wash  a  pan  of  dirt. 

Mr.  Lamprecht  also  reports  Circle  City  deserted. 
Excited  men  travel  up  and  down  the  river  and  hardly 
know  what  to  do.  Wages  have  gone  up  to  $15  a  day 
of  seven  hours  at  Klondyke.  Men  will  not  work  for 
wages  any  more;  they  can  find  ground  of  their  own 
that  will  pay  wages,  and  have  good  chances  of  finding 
it  rich.  Men  who  had  to  talk  a  long  time  to  get  their 
victuals  last  fall  on  credit,  having  not  a  dollar  to  pay 
on  their  outfit,  are  rich  now,  and  some  of  them  have 
opportunities  of  becoming  millionaires. 

This  letter,  received  July  17,  is  dated  March  24. 
Only  two  mails  came  to  Circle  City  last  winter,  one 
being  received  March  23,  which  had  been  on  the 
road  from  Juneau  since  January. 


i! 


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AND  TBM  qpLP  WBLW  09  AY«AliK4  ,    a 

HAPPY  SCOTCHMAN. 

Allan  McL«od,  of  Perth,  Scotland,  came  back  with 
$92,500.  His  hands  and  feet  were  tied  up  in  bandages, 
and  his  clothing  was  ragged  and  dirty  as  a  result  of  a 
long  sojourn  in  Alaska.  He  looked  anything  but 
prosperous,  yet  in  his  pocket  reposed  a  draft  for  $92,- 
500,  and  an  attendant  took  care  of  a  deer  hide  sack 
heavy  with  gold  nuggets. 

Mr.  McLeod  is  a  baker  by  trade,  a  restaurant  cook 
and  proprietor  by  circumstance,  a  gold  miner  by  acci- 
dent, and  a  rich  man  by  luck.  Inflammatory  rheuma< 
tism,  contracted  in  the  gold  fields,  made  a  temporary 
cripple  of  him  and  rendered  his  journey  painful,  yet 
he  had  a  light  heart  as  he  pictured  the  surprise  he 
would  give  his  old  friends  in  Scotland  when  he  landed 
with  his  treasure. 

"I  went  to  Alaska  early  last  summer,"  said  Mr. 
McLeod,  "with  a  crowd  of  miners  who  came  up  the 
Sound  from  San  Francisco,  I  was  out  of  money  and 
work,  or  I  doubt  whether  I  would  have  accepted  the 
offer  they  made  me  to  go  along  as  cook.  We  reached 
Cook's  Inlet  June  20,  and  things  looked  so  discourage 
ing  we  went  back  to  Juneau.  There  we  bought  sup- 
plies and  started  for  Dawson  City,  750  miles  away. 
We  camped  there,  and  I  did  the  cooking  for  the  boys. 
They  did  very  well,  but  the  gold  fever  took  them 
farther  East,  and  I  remained  to  cook  for  another  gang 
of  miners.  I  made  good  wages,  and  finally  had  enough 
to  start  a  restaurant.  In  two  weeks  I  sold  the  place 
for  $5,000  and  went  placer  mining  with  a  half-breed 
for  a  partner. 

**We  had  good  luck  from  the  start,  md  I  would 
have  remained  but  for  a  severe  attack  of  inflammatory 
rheumatism.    It  would  have  killed  me  but  for  the 


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tt      OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  ItLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

nursing  of  my  partner.  He  carried  me  most  of  the 
way  to  Juneau,  where  I  got  passage  on  a  fishing 
schooner  to  'Frisco.  I  am  satisfied  with  what  I've  got 
in  money,  and  hope  to  get  rid  of  my  rheumatism  be- 
fore long.  Great  fortunes  are  being  found  by  many 
men,  and  no  one  knows  the  extent  of  the  gold  fields 
that  are  constantly  developing." 

MISFORTUNE  MADE  HESTWOOD  RICH. 

J.  O.  Hestwood,  of  Seattle,  is  a  typical  returned 
Argonaut.  He  is  a  small  man,  weighing  not  over  140 
pounds,  and  has  light  blue  eyes,  clear  skin,  and  a  firm 
square  jaw.  He  has  been  a  preacher,  teacher  and 
lecturer,  having  delivered  lectures  all  over  the  Coast 
of  Alaska  to  pay  his  way  up  there.  He  spent  three 
years  in  the  territory  before  his  great  opportunity 
came.  He  was  at  Glacier  Creek  when  the  news  was 
brought  down  of  the  immense  strike  on  Bonanza 
Creek.  Here  is  his  story  in  his  own  words,  which 
gives  an  admirable  idea  of  the  way  the  mines  are 
worked : 

"With  hundreds  I  rushed  to  the  new  fields.  After 
a  few  days  I  became  disgusted  and  started  to  leave 
the  country.  I  had  gone  only  a  short  distance  down 
the  river  when  my  boat  got  stuck  in  the  ice  and  I  was 
forced  to  foot  it  back  to  Dawson  City. 

"Well,  it  was  Providence  that  did  that.  I  purchased 
claim  No.  60,  below  Discovery  claim,  and  it  proved 
one  of  the  richest  pieces  of  ground  in  the  district.  My 
claim  will  average  16  or  17  cents  to  the  pan,  and  in 
addition  to  what  I  have  already  taken  out,  there  is  at 
least  $250,000  in  sight.  Last  season  I  worked  thirty 
men,  and  I  intend  to  employ  more  next  year. 

"Our  manner  of  reaching  gold  is  simple  and  not  par- 
ticularly expensive  when  one  considers  returns,   Huge 


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▲ND  THB  COLD  FIXLSW  OF  ALABKA..  « 

fires  are  built  over  ground,  and  when  it  is  thawed  out 
men  set  to  work.  The  frost  is  so  hard,  however,  that 
the  biggest  fire  thaws  the  ground  for  only  one  foot. 

STANLEY  STRUCK  IT  WARM. 

William  Stanley  is  one  of  the  fortunate  ones  who 
returned  on  the  Portland.  He  belonged  in  Seattle, 
and  when  he  got  back  among  the  people  who  used  to 
help  him  by  giving  him  lo  or  15  cents  to  support  his 
wife  and  several  children,  they  could  hardly  realize  it. 
At  the  closing  of  an  interview,  he  said: 

"When  we  had  taken  out  the  last  of  the  $112,000,  I 
threw  down  my  pick  and,  turning  my  eyes  heaven^ 
ward,  said:  *Good-by,  old  friend,  I  will  never  pick 
you  up  again,'  and  I  spoke  the  truth. 

"I  love  gold  and  I  have  it.  Many  times  in  my  life 
the  wolf  has  been  close  to  the  door.  Now  I  have  riches 
and  will  never  work  again,  but  in  March  I  will  go 
back  and  manage  our  properties." 

In  addition  to  his  present  fortune,  he  is  interested 
with  his  son  and  two  New  Yorkers  in  claims  which, 
he  says,  will  yield  $2,000,000. 

During  his  absence  in  the  far  north  the  family 
struggled  to  eke  out  an  existence,  for  everything  that 
Stanley  had  went  to  pay  his  expenses  to  the  gold 
fields. 

Stanley  is  well  on  in  years.  His  hair  is  gray,  and 
when  he  left  Seattle  he  looked  as  though  a  few  more 
years  would  find  him  sleeping  beneath  the  sod.  He 
was  not  accustomed  to  hardships;  for  years  he  con- 
ducted a  little  book  store  in  an  out-of-the-way  cofner. 

A  THOUSAND  IN  A  PAN. 
B.  W.  Shaw,  formerly  a  prominent  insurance  man  of 


I  'i^it 


i*??r'^'^'^''''^'^'''''^:t'"^'  '*>" '  ■tll''*^'t.-'f**^''Hf^:*f.^^B?*'l^?fSii*^^ 


M      OFFICIAL  OXJWm  TO  TRB  KLONDTKB  COUMTllT 

Seattle,  writes  to  an  old  business  associate  from  Klon- 
dyke  about  the  diggings  and  frankly  says  that  he  does 
not  expect  to  be  believed.  "This  is  a  great  mining 
strike,"  says  Shaw,  "probably  ihe  greatest  on  the 
American  continent,  or  in  the  world.  I  know  you  will 
not  believe  me  if  I  tell  you  all  about  it.  Gold  has  not 
been  found  in  great  paying  quantities  except  on  the 
creeks,  about  200  claims. 

"Some  of  the  pay  streaks  are  nearly  all  gold.  One 
thousand  dollars  to  the  pan  is  not  an  uncommon  thing, 
and  as  high  as  100  ounces  have  been  taken  out  of  a 
single  pan.  It  is  not  unusual  to  see  men  coming  in 
with  all  the  gold  dust  they  can  carry. 

"You  would  not  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that  I 
went  into  one  cabin  and  counted  five  five-gallon  oil 
cans  full  of  gold  dust,  but  it  is  a  fact.  It  is  the  result 
of  the  work  of  two  men  during  the  winter,  and  the 
dump  is  not  much  more  than  half  worked  out. 

"There  ha^  been  about  $3,000,000  in  dust  taken 
out  so  far  in  the  district.  At  a  low  estimate  I  believe 
there  will  be  $50,000,000  taken  out  during  the  next 
year." 

FOUND  IT  IN  CLEAR  WATER. 

Frank  Phiscator,  of  Baroda,  Michigan,  went  to  the 
Klondyke  last  winter  and  has  returned  rich.  He  de- 
scribed the  hardships  of  his  quest  for  gold  and  de- 
clared most  emphatically  he  would  not  care  to  repeat 
the  experience.  Phiscator  reached  the  i>eld  in  the 
dead  of  winter.  He  dug  a  hole  in  th«  ground  large 
enough  to  hold  himself  and  his  provissoiis  and  settled 
down  to  make  a  fortune.  He  was  discouraged,  almost 
frozen  and  weak  from  insufficient  food  and  over  exer- 
tion, and  he  began  to  doubt  that  there  was  any  gold 
to  be  found  in  Alaska,  when  one  day,  after  a  twenty- . 


&.- 


AND  THS  OOLO  ITBLDfl  OF  AZJUMU.  S 

mile  tramp,  he  came  upon  a  little  stream  which  flowed 
down  the  side  of  a  mountain  and  emptied  into  a  sort 
of  basin.  The  water  was  clear  and  the  gravel  bottom 
was  covered  with  nuggets.  He  plunged  into  the  icy 
water  and  picked  up  all  the  metal  in  sight.  He  buried 
the  gold  in  the  ground.  From  this  time  on  things 
came  easier.  Phiscator  joined  a  crowd  of  prospectors 
and  they  unearthed  several  claims  of  considerable 
value.  He  carried  a  deposit  check  for  $50,000  to  sub- 
stantiate his  story. 


A  LOT  OF  LUCKY  ONES. 

William  Kulju — "I  brought  down  just  1,000  ounces 
of  dust  and  sold  it  to  smelting  works.  I  worked  at 
Eldorado  Creek,  near  Dawson,  and  was  in  that  coun- 
try about  -^  year,  and  had  a  couple  of  dollars  and  a 
pack  last  summer  when  I  went  in.  I  sold  my  claim 
for  $25,000,  part  cash  and  the  balance  to  be  paid  as  it 
is  taken  out.  Now  I  am  taking  a  trip  to  the  old 
country — Finland — and  am  coming  back  next  year." 

Fred  Lendeseen — "I  went  to  Alaska  two  years  ago, 
and  when  I  left  there  six  weeks  ago  I  brought  $13,000 
in  gold  dust  with  me.  I  have  had  considerable  expe- 
rience in  mining,  and  say,  without  hesitation,  that 
Alaska  is  the  richest  country  I  have  ever  seen.  I  have 
interest  in  a  claim  near  Dawson  and  am  going  back  in 
the  spring  * 

Greg  Stewart — "I  had  a  partner  and  sold  out  my 
interest  for  $45,000  and  put  my  money  back  again  at 
interest  in  mines.  My  partner  had  1,500  ounces  of 
dust,  but  it  fell  short  four  ounces  on  the  way  down. 
The  dust  will  go  over  $17  an  ounce,  but  we  are  all 
waiting  for  returns  from  the  smelting  works.  I  brought 
a  few  hundred  ounces  with  me,  but  I  get  interest  of  2 


.iV 


M      OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

per  cent  on  shoit  loans.    I  expect  to  return  next 
spring." 

John  Marks — "I  brought  $11,500  in  gold  dust  with 
me,  but  I  had  to  work  for  eviry  bit  ot  it.  There  is 
plenty  of  gold  in  Alaska — more,  I  believe,  than  the 
most  sanguine  imagine — but  it  cannot  be  obtained 
without  great  effort  and  endurance.  The  first  thing 
for  a  poor  man  to  do  when  he  reaches  the  country  is 
to  begin  prospecting.  As  snow  is  from  two  to  five 
feet  deep,  prospecting  is  not  easy.  Snow  must  first 
be  shoveled  away,  and  then  a  fire  built  on  the  ground 
to  melt  the  ice.  As  the  ground  thaws  the  shaft  muf>t 
be  sunk  ui:til  bed  rock  is  reached.  The  average  pros- 
pector has  to  sink  a  great  many  shafts  before  he 
reaches  anything  worth  his  while.  If  gold  is  found  in 
sufficient  quantities  to  pay  for  working,  he  may  begin 
drifting  from  the  shaft,  and  continue  to  do  so  as  long 
as  he  finds  enough  gold  to  pay." 

M.  S.  Norcross — "I  was  sick  and  couldn't  work,  so 
I  cooked  for  Mr.  Mc?«Jamee.  Still  I  had  a  claim  on 
the  Bonanza,  but  didn't  know  what  wp  :  rn  it,  because 
I  couldn't  work  it.  I  sold  out  last  spring  for  $10,000, 
and  wa^  satisfied  to  get  a  chance  to  return  to  my  home 
in  Los  Angeles."  .    "* 

Thomas  Flack — "My  dust  will  bring  more  than 
$6,000.  I  have  an  interest  in  two  claims  on  the  Eldo- 
rado. One  partner  sold  out  for  $50,000  and  another 
for  $55  OGO.  I  had  an  offer  of  $50,0 jo,  but  refused  Jt 
just  before  I  came  out." 

J.  B.  Hollingshead — "I  was  in  the  diggings  about 
two  years,  and  brought  out  about  1,500  ounces,  which 
I  suppose  will  bring  $17  an  ounce.  I'm  not  sure  about 
going  back,  though  I  have  a  claim  on  Gold  Bottom 
Creek,  fifteen  miles  from  Bonanza.    It  is  less  than  a 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


year  since  I  located  my  claim.    My  dust  will  bring 
over  $25,000." 

Albert  Fox — "I  and  partner  went  into  the  district 
in  1895  ^^^  secured  two  claims.  We  sold  one  for 
$45,000.  I  brought  300  ounces,  which  netted  $5,000. 
Everybody  is  at  Dawson  for  the  present.  The  district 
is  apt  to  be  overrun.  I  wouldn't  advise  anyone  to  go 
there  this  fall,  fc»r  people  are  liable  to  go  hungry  before 
spring.  About  800  went  over  the  summit  from 
Juneau,  600  miles,  so  there  may  not  be  food  enough 
for  all" 

LONDON  GETS  THE  FEVER. 

Klondyke  discoveries  promise  lo  start  a  fever  in 
London,  as  well  as  New  York.  The  South  African 
successes  have  educated  the  Londoner  up  to  the  gold 
fevers,  and  the  agents  of  the  Atlantic  Transportation 
Company  and  other  cheap  lines  tell  of  many  applica- 
tions from  men  wishing  to  go  to  Alaska. 

The  new  Canadian  Transatlantic  line  is  actuilly  hur- 
rying work  up  on  a  line  of  new  boats  so  as  to  get  its 
share  of  the  rush. 

The  tremendous  number  of  experienced  gold  miners 
in  London  who  have  worked  in  South  Africa  would 
make  formidable  rivals  to  the  amateur  American  for- 
tune seekers. 


.  s 


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It     '    ' 


TACOMA  GOES  WILD. 

''r  .*.  the  Klondyke  gold  fever  struck  Tacoma  the 
towi.  V  f  irned  inside  out.  The  condition  of  the  peo- 
ple can  be  described  in  no  word  save  rrazy.  They  are 
literally  insane  with  the  thirst  for  gold,  /Jl  classes 
share  in  the  exv 'er^ent. 

Employes  in  every  calling  are  beginning  to  leave 
their  places  to  go  to  Alaska  and  dig  in  the  river  beds 


i'l 


'i 


4»      OFFICIAL  QUIDEl  TO  THB  KLONDTKE  COUNTRT 

for  the  shining  nuggets.  The  result  is  that  nobody 
is  looking  for  work.  Telegrams  have  been  received 
from  New  York  and  London,  inquiring  how  many 
hundred  men  can  be  equipped  on  short  notice  for  a 
journey  to  the  gold  fields. 

The  street  car  employes  of  the  town  held  a  meeting, 
selected  nine  men  to  go  to  Klondyke,  and  will  back 
them.  The  profits  of  the  venture  are  to  be  divided  by 
all.  The  fever  has  smitten  business  men,  doctors,  law- 
yers and  politicians.  Ex-Governor  McGraw  is  a  vic- 
tim and  has  gone  to  the  gold  country. 


'     I 


\: 


1     i     ■ 

a, 

WALL  STREFT  HAS  IT. 

In  New  York  knots  of  bro*vt  <ther  on  the  street 
corners  these  days  to  discuss  the  .  imdyke  gold  finds. 
In  the  offices  of  responsible  firms  the  question  of 
sending  out  representatives  is  warmly  discussed. 
Next  spring  action  will  be  taken  both  by  financial 
houses  and  private  syndicates.  Among  the  Wall 
street  operators  now  seriously  discussing  the  subject 
are  Burrill  &  Stitt,  of  No.  i6  Broad  street;  H.  L.  Hor- 
ton  &  Co.,  of  No.  66  Broadway ;  Washington  E.  Con- 
nor and  "Deacon"  Stephen  V.  White. 

A.  A.  Housman,  a  member  of  the  Stock  Exchange, 
and  head  of  the  banking  and  brokerage  firm  of  A.  A. 
Housman  &  Co.,  said:  "Several  men  in  this  office 
are  anxious  to  go  to  the  new  fields.  We  have  dis- 
cussed the  question  of  sending  a  man  there  in  charge 
of  a  party,  but  have  not  reached  a  conclusion  Com- 
petent and  reliable  men  for  such  an  undertaking  are 
not  easily  found. 

not  easily  found.  Those  who  go  to  the  Pacific  coast 
over  the  Northern  Pacific,  Great  Northern  or  Canadian 
Pacific  will  take  their  chances  of  securing  passage  by 


AND  THB  GOLD  FUCLDS  OF  ALASKA. 


Steamer  to  Juneau  or  Dyca  and  then  proceeding  over- 
land to  Dawson.  By  many  this  is  regarded  as  the 
most  feasible  route  and  those  who  ought  to  know  say 
it  has  been  rendered  much  easier  by  the  recent  dis- 
covery of  a  new  pass  much  easier  of  ascent  than  the 
old  route  via  Chilcoot  pass.  Nevertheless  the  journey 
is  full  of  peril  for  those  who  have  had  no  experience 
in  packing  provisions  over  icy,  snow-clad  mountains 
and  shooting  the  rapids  of  a  mountain  stream." 

THE  MINING  EXCHANGE  CRAZY. 

At  the  Mining  Exchange,  New  York,  the  Klon- 
iiyke  fever  is  on  with  fuii  virulence.  Brokers  look  for 
a  repetition  of  the  South  African  excitement  which 
recently  prevailed  in  London. 

Propositions  have  been  made  for  listing  some  of  the 

new  Klondyke  corporations,  and  steps  are  being  taken 

to  put  them  on  call  with  ample  protection  to  the  pub- 
lic. ,:'  ..■'.'  .".,-,,■       " 

At  No.  96  Broadway,  New  York,  a  company,  which 
has  a  capital  of  $150,000,  was  formed  under  the  laws 
of  Colorado,  by  James  Rice,  formerly  Secretary  of 
State  of  Colorado;  George  P.  Morgan,  a  representa- 
tive of  the  company,  is  now  at  Circle  City,  Alaska. 

MANY  SYNDICATES  PROPOSED. 

Syndicates  are  springing  up  like  mushrooms  after 
a  rain.  From  all  parts  of  the  country  advices  are  re- 
ceived of  the  formation  of  companies. 

Corporations  like  that  of  J.  Edward  Addicks,  which 
was  originally  intended  to  operate  for  gold  in  the 
Cariboo  district  of  British  Columbia,  are  extending 
their  field  of  action  to  include  the  Klondyke.  Addicks 
opened  his  stock  books  simultaneously  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia.  He  calls  his  venture  the  Yukon- 
Cariboo-British  Columbia  Gold  Mining  Development 


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OFinCIAL  aUIDB  TO  THE  KLOKDTKB  COUNTRY 

Company.  Of  course,  Addicks  is  president;  E.  F.  J. 
Gaylor,  auditor  of  the  Manhattan  Elevated,  is  treas- 
urer, and  Charles  H.  Kittinger,  secretary.  Mr.  Ad- 
dicks*  office,  in  the  Manhattan  Life  Building,  No.  66 
Broadway,  was  at  once  thronged  with  investors. 
From  the  opening  of  the  office  until  3  p.  m.  investors 
came  and  went.  All  sorts  and  conditions  of  subscrib- 
ers added  their  amounts,  both  large  and  small,  to  the 
fund,  for  exploring  and  developing  the  headwaters  of 
the  Yukon  River.  George  A.  Kelly,  who  has  charge 
of  the  office,  said  that  the  amount  of  shares  taken 
exceeded  expectations,  and  that  advices  from  Phila- 
delphia indicate  the  same  condition.  One  party  sent 
out  by  the  company  has  sailed  in  charge  of  General 
M.  E.  Carr.  Another  party,  headed  by  George  P. 
Kittinger,  a  well-known  mining  expert,  will  leave  Se- 
attle August  12.  Six  experienced  miners  will  accom- 
pany him.  They  will  go  to  Juneau  and  proceed  over- 
land by  way  of  the  Chilkat  Pass. 

KEENE  AND  THE  KLONDYKE. 

James  R.  Keene,  the  veteran  Wail  street  operator, 
is  enthusiastic  over  the  gold  fields  of  the  Klondyke. 
He  says:   '  .  ,.   .'  .'  -t'::-'.y 

"I  am  confident,  from  the  reports  received — which 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt — that  an  immense  amount 
of  gold  will  be  added  to  the  world's  store  from  this 
field.  Of  course,  hundreds  of  poor  fellows  will  go 
there  under  intense  excitement,  without  proper  pro- 
visions, clothing  or  working  outfit.  Many  of  them 
will  fall  by  the  wayside.  This  has  been  the  case  in 
every  previous  excitement  of  the  kind,  and  history 
repeats  itself. 

"The-  most  serious  problem  is  that  of  transporta- 


AND  THB  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 

tion.  Everything  depends  on  a  successful  solution  of 
this  problem.  Reports  indicate  that  thus  far  the 
means  of  ingress  and  egress  are  very  limited  at  all 
periods  of  the  year,  and  during  the  winter  practically 
do  not  exist.  If  fodder  for  the  mules  which  carry  pro- 
visions to  the  camp  must  be  carried  on  the  miners* 
backs,  compelling,  in  many  cases,  the  killing  of  the 
animals,  owing  to  lack  of  fodder,  the  problem  is  indeed 
a  serious  one.  As  soon  as  it  can  be  solved  I  believe 
large  amounts  of  capital  will  be  invested  there. 

"The  matter  of  sending  representatives  to  the  fields 
I  know  to  be  under  discussion  among  several  Wall 
street  men.  Given  the  right  man,  there  is  no  doubt 
Wall  street  money  would  be  forthcoming  in  neces- 
sary amount  to  send  him  to  the  Klondyke  with  a  suf- 
ficient force  of  men  to  accomplish  something." 

BRITISH  COLUMBIA  EXCITED. 

The  town  of  Nanaimo,  British  Columbia,  is  aflame 
with  excitement  over  the  discoveries  in  the  Klondyke. 
All  the  population  want  to  move  to  the  gold  fields 
because  two  of  its  citizens  have  come  home  with 
dazzling  fortunes  made  in  a  year  in  the  Yukon.  John 
Wilkinson  and  William  Sloan  tired  of  coal  mining  and 
went  to  the  Yukon.  - 

,A  sack  containing  over  $50,000  worth  of  gold  nug- 
gets, displayed  in  a  Nanaimo  Bank  window  today, 
shows  more  vividly  than  words  could  express  the 
profits  of  Mr.  Wilkinson.  Sloan  has  as  much  or  more, 
&,ad  they  both  have  their  claims,  which  are  said  to  be 
worth  a  million  each  yet. 

Wilkinson  has  just  given  orders  for  the  construction 
of  one  of  the  finest  houses  in  British  Columbia.  Speak- 
ing of  the  Klondyke,  he  said: 


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U       OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 

"On  Bonanza  Creek  there  are  sixty  good  paying 

claims  below  the  discovery  this  year  and  fifty  above. 

Every  one  of  these  will  require  from  five  to  eight 
years  to  get  the  gold  out,  working  twenty  men  on 

each,  and  all  the  time.    On  the  Eldorado  there  are 

forty  good  paying  claims.    Besides  these  creeks  there 

are  many  more  in  which  the  pay  dirt  is  plentiful,  so 

that  there  is  room  for  thousands  of  miners  for  years  to 

come." 

Mr.  Wilkinson  does  not  belittle  the  hardships  of  the 
Yukon  experienced.  He  says  he  stood  at  the  wind- 
lass on  his  claim  when  the  temperature  was  sixty  de- 
grees below  zero,  and  it  took  his  party  three  months 
to  pack  in  their  outfits,  which  weighed  a  ton  to  each 
man.  Even  with  that  supply  their  provisions  ran  out, 
and  both  Sloan  and  Wilkinson  believe  that  there  will 
t .  suffering  this  winter  for  lack  of  food.  They  say 
a  man  can  take  out  half  an  ounce  a  day  almost  any- 
where, but  that  they  would  scorn  to  work  on  such  poor 
dirt. 

Sloan  exhibits  a  very  large  nugget,  while  Wilkinson 
has  one  nearly  as  large  as  a  man's  hand.  Sloan  says 
that  he  could  go  into  the  Klondyke  now  in  thirty 
days  without  supplies,  but  he  very  much  doubts 
whether  the  hundreds  who  are  starting  now,  intend- 
ing to  pack  in  their  own  outfits,  will  get  through  be- 
fore  the  Yukon  is  frozen.  Packing  in  with  horses,  he 
says,  is  next  to  impossible.  Sometimes  the  horses 
have  to  be  hauled  up  steep  places  with  ropes,  and  feed 
is  scarce  and  hard  to  take  along. 


, 


'i 


I 


MORE  ARGONAUTS  SAIL  AWAY. 

One  who  writes  quaintly  tells  this  story  of  the 
sailing  of  a  great  crowd  of  gold-seekers  for  the  fields 
of  Klondyke: 

1 


^  ^ 


AND  THB  (SOLD  FIBLDB  OF  ALASKA.  « 

"  'Let  US  go  above  where  we  may  see  the  crowd. 
God  does  not  give  us  many  scenes  like  this,'  says 
Joaquin  Miller,  'and  a  little  later,  as  we  stand  on  the 
hurricane  deck  of  'the  Mexico  and  face  the  great 
throng  that  lines  the  shore,  the  poet  is  heard  mur- 
muring some  lines  that  Walt  Whitman  wrote.  'Faces, 
faces,  human  faces,'  one's  ear  catches  distinctly  as 
this  remarkable  man  gazes  and  gazes,  his  kindly  eyes 
glistening  with  feeling;  then,  though  his  lips  move, 
no  words  are  heard. 

'*  'Give  me  faces,  human  faces,'  the  voice  is  audible 
again. 

"  'Wait  a  bit,'  exclaims  the  artist,  'I  must  catch 
him  so.' 

"No  wonder. 

"The  tall  figure  of  the  poet  looms  commandingly 
above  the  passengers  on  the  deck. 

"The  spectacle  around  is  deeply  touching.  The 
docks  of  Seattle  and  the  craft  afloat  in  the  blue 
waters  of  the  Sound  are  dotted  with  those  who  have 
come  to  witness  the  departure,  and  the  pier  from 
which  we  are  casting  off  could  not  easily  hold  more 
than  have  thronged  thither.  The  decks  of  the  Mexico 
are  crowded  with  the  adventuresome  four  hundred 
bound  for  the  gold  fields  of  the  Klondyke. 

"There  is  peculiar  pathos  in.  the  eagerness,  the  hope* 
fulness,  the  absence  of  tears.  Few  faces  aboard  the 
steamship  that  are  not  aglow  with  a  distressing  some- 
thing that  seems  to  tell  of  soul-fever  lest  even  while 
these  moments  of  parting  are  winging  my'  chances  of 
fortune  in  the  land  of  the  midnight  sun  are  forfeiting. 
Tempering  this  painful  anxiety  comes  the  soft  yearn- 
ings of  the  dear  ones  left  behind;  but  not  a  tear  shed 
they.    Indeed,  if  there  are  those  aboard  ship  or  along 


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46       OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRx 

shore,  in  whose  eves  the  mists  gather  visibly,  not  any 
of  our  party  sees  them. 

"There  is  a  frenzy  in  it  that  fevers  the  heart  too 
much  for  tears,  and  herein  is  the  supreme  sadness,  for 
that  it  can  be  so  argues  a  world  awry.  As  the  last 
rope  is  let  slip  and  the  Mexico  swings  slowly  out  from 
her  dock  cheer  on  cheer  rings  out  on  the  morning  air 
and  answering  shouts  arise  from  the  voyagers;  'ker- 
chiefs wave  and  godspeeds  hurry  the  steamer  for- 
ward. .  V 

"Slowly  the  vessel  creeps  out  into  the  Sound,  and 
the  cheers  are  borne  to  us  faintly  and  more  faintly, 
and  the  faces  on  the  shore  lose  their  individuality,  and 
now  the  crowd  its  shape.  Yet  a  little  while  and  the 
thronging  city  fades  into  blue,  and  the  lingering  eye 
gives  its  best  glances  to  the  Rainier  alone,  majertic 
Rainier,  like  Blanc,  a  monarch  of  mountains: 

'They  crown'd  him  long  ago  on  a  throne  of  rocks, 
In  robes  of  clouds,  with  a  diadem  of  snow,' 

JOAQUIN  SPEAKS  AGAIN. 

"  'I  never  saw  a  cleaner,  .nore  respectable  assembly 
of  men  before  for  the  mines.' 

"It  is  the  poet,  again,  who  is  speaking.  The  voyag- 
ers are  of  many  classes,  but  there  is  a  noticeable  ab- 
sence of  roughs  and  a  notable  presence  of  men  mani- 
festly unused  to  the  life  of  a  miner.  They  are  a  healthy- 
looking,  resolute-appearing  set  of  fellows,  for  the 
greater  part,  dressed  for  a  plain  life  in  the  wilds,  and 
earnest  to  the  degree  that  gives  the  lookers-on  a  heart- 
ache in  apprehension  that  not  all  among  them  will 
fare  well  in  the  land  whither  they  are  sailing.  The 
barrier  between  classes  has  been  battered  down ;  fellow- 
feeling  as  to  the  mines  has  already  made  chums  of 


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men  who  would  hold  aloof  from  each  other  under 
ordinary  circumstances. 

There,  for  instance,  sprawled  out  full  length  and 
chatting  as  though  friends  for  many  y<.'ars,  arc  a  bright- 
seeming  lawyer  and  a  man  who  long  has  been  a 
hostler  in  Portland.  Beside  the  rail,  engrossed  in  ex- 
change information  sit  an  ex- Judge  of  Seattle,  and 
a  drayman,  who  journeyed  on  the  train  that  bore  our 
party  from  San  Francisco.  Here  stands  Joaquin 
Miller,  Hstening  intently  to  the  opinions  of  a  thin- 
faced  youth,  who  abandoned  employment  in  a  Tacoma 
restaurant  that  he  might  seek  gold  near  the  Arctic 
Circle. 

"There  is  a  physician  aboard  the  Mexico  who  is  as 
thin  as  Senator  Ingalls  and  as  pale  as  a  summer  cloud. 
He  believes  he  has  consumption,  and  was  heard  to 
observe  that  at  best  he  could  not  liv  more  than  two 
years  longer.  He  is  bound  for  Dawson  City  by  way  of 
the  Chilkoot  Pass  and  intends»to  mine. 

*'  'There  won't  be  much  need  of  Doctors  up  there,* 
he  explains,  'and  even  if  I  could  make  something  by 
practice  of  my  profession,  I  could  not  afford  to  throw 
away  the  better  opportunity  the  mines  afford.  I  want 
to  leave  my  little  ones  a  fortune.'  " 


M 


GOING  ON  A  BET. 

"An  example  of  very  different  type  is  afforded  by 
J.  D.  Thagard.  He  was  the  proprietor  of  the  North- 
ern Hotel,  in  Seattle,  until  recently.  He  has  no  need, 
financially,  of  following  the  fortunes  of  a  miner.  More- 
over, he  weighs  300  pounds,  and  has  the  paunch  of 
Falstaff.  On  his  cards,  which  he  is  distributing  glee- 
fully, these  words  are  printed  in  the  left  upper  corner: 
"  'The  bigge.^t  thing  that  ever  started  on  the  trail  for 
the  Klondyke.' 


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BO      OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THB  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

**  *A  friend  offered  to  v;ager  $500  I  could  not  go 
ID  Dawson  by  the  r'^cuntain  route,'  he  tells,  'and  as 
I  thought  I  would  like  to  do  a  bit  of  mining,  I  ac- 
cepte  .  the  wager.  So  I  am  going  through  the  Chil- 
koot  Pass,  or  die  in  the  attempt.  I  don't  expect  to 
have  a  funeral  on  the  way,  and  Vm  so  dead  sure  ct 
that  $500  I  feel  genuinely  sorry  for  the  other  fel- 
low.' 

'There  are  several  women  aboard  who  are  deter- 
mined to  press  through  to  the  min^s,  no  matter  what 
the  perils.  They  are  wives,  and  accompany  their  hus- 
bands. One  of  them,  Mrs.  P.  Sutherland,  of  Ballard, 
Wis.,  is  exceedingly  enthusiastic,  and  not  anything  in 
the  way  of  narrative  of  danger  or  hardship  could  dull 
the  edge  of  her  enthusiasm. 

'Of  course,  I  shall  mine,'  she  says,  'when  I  can 
look  up  from  my  housework.  Why  shouldn't  I?  I'm 
sure  it  will  be  perfectly  lovely.  Did  I  ever  mine? 
Well,  no;  but  what  difference  could  that  make?" 


fK 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  GOLD  FEVER. 

San  Francisco  Stirred  Up— Thousands  Will  Seek 
Fortunes — Great  Rush  to  t^e  Land  of  Gold — Port- 
land Catches  the  Craze — Seattle  Greatly  Excited — 
A  Large  Party  for  Alaska — An  Ok!  Yale  Man 
Aboard — A  Representative  Scene — Richest  Mines 
in  the  World — Deserting  Alaskan  Towns — Off  for 
the  Klondyke — Crazed  by  Lust  of  Wealth — Love 
of  Gold  All-Absorbing — Pathos  of  the  Scenes — 
Klondyke  Fever  Spreads  Far — Minneapolis  Feels  It 
— Milwaukeeans  Are  Going — Gold  the  Magic  Word 
— Chicago  Catches  the  Infection — Many  Seek  In- 
formation— Ovcvland  Route  Advised — Speculators 
in  Clover — Gold  Fever  K^^aches  New  York — A  Can- 
adian Report — Marvelous  Results — Superb  Panning 

— Coal  Prospects — Gr^-at  Rush  to  Take  Claims — 
Workings  Are  Usually  Rich — Valuable  Claims, 

San  Francisco  has  not  b^en  stirred  by  any  mining 
discovery  since  the  opening  up  of  the  great  bonanzas 
on  the  Comstock  lode  in  Nevada,  nearly  thirty  years 
ago,  as  it  has  been  in  these  days  by  tlie  stories  of  two 
score  sun-tanned  and  hard-featured  miners  who  have 
returned  from  the  new  Klondyke  camp  on  the  Yukon 
River  in  far  Alaska. 

The  stories  would  have  excited  dension  were  it  not 
that  all  these  men  were  able  to  fu  nish  ocular  proof 
of  their  tales  with  pounds  of  yellow  gold.  Nol  one  of 
the  party  went  into  this  camp  last  fall  with  anything 
more  than  his  outfit  and  a  few  hundred  dollars.     Not 


t 


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W"W"'''''v|.  '.l.'"*^'  .r-"-  •.tr'rE«'r?!:'-^^i:V(.  :-',v  ■..*:■.,,,...,. 


OFFICUII4  GUIDE  TO  THB  KLONDTKE  COUNTRT 


one  came  out  with  less  than  $5,ocx),  a  dozen  cleaned 
up  from  $JO,ooo  to  $20,000,  while  half  a  dozen  aver- 
aged from  $20,000  to  $90,000.  Scores  of  them  left 
claims  that  they  valued  at  $20,000  to  $1,000,000,  which 
are  now  being  worked  by  their  partners  or  by  hired 
laborers.  They  are  not  boasters  or  boomers.  In  fact 
they  are  careful  to  warn  anyone  about  venturing  into 
the  Yukon  country  unless  he  is  young,  vigorous  and 
brave,  able  to  bear  hardships,  and  has  from  $500  to 
$1,000  for  outfit  and  current  expenses  after  reaching 
the  new  gold  fields.  Perhaps  it  is  these  very  con- 
servative views  which  have  made  their  talk  take  such 
powerful  hold  on  the  popular  imagination. 


<f 


THOUSANDS  WILL  SEEK  FORTUNES. 

Of  course,  this  first  keen  enthusiasm  may  fade  and 
next  spring  may  see  few  go  to  the  far  north,  but  no  one 
who  has  observed  the  popular  feeling  will  be  siu'prised 
to  see  5,000  men  go  from  San  F'rancisco,  and  perhaps 
1,500  or  more  will  start  in  August. 

The  blood  of  the  argonauts  flows  in  the  veins  of 
half  of  the  Californians,  and  stories  of  rioh  mining 
strikes  stir  them  as  a  blast  of  trumpets.  Every  one 
here  knows  the  nistory  of  the  far  northern  bonanzas 
and  is  prepared  to  discount  the  extra  enthusiasm  of 
returned  miners,  for  all  remember  the  hard  fortunes 
of  the  thousands  of  Californians  who  rushed  to  Cari- 
boo and  Frazer  River  placers  nearly  forty  years  ago, 
only  to  find  that  there  '."cre  fifty  men  for  every  claim 
and  that  the  paying  district  was  so  small  it  could  not 
support  5,000  men. 

Klondyke  may  be  a  repetition  of  Cariboo,  but  from 
what  is  said  by  hard-headed  old  miners  with  whom 
a  ncvvs  correspondent  has  talked  there  is  gold-bearing 


I 


**% 


AND  THE  OOU>  FISLDB  OF  AlJlBKiu  M 

countrycnough  aroundDawson  Citytosupport  a  great 
population,  and  the  only  danger  lies  in  the  scarcity  of 
provisions  during  the  long  winters,  when  fresh  sup- 
plies cannot  be  brought  in.  Should  transportation 
companies  do  no  better  than  they  have  done  for  the 
last  two  years,  and  should  20,000  or  30,000  men  crowd 
into  Klondyke,  there  will  be  actual  starvation,  with 
possible  crime. 

GREAT  RUSH  TO  THE  LAND  OF  GOLD. 


An  indication  of  the 


,'hich 


actuates  men 
found  in  the  following  from  San  Francisco: 

In  spite  of  the  warnings  that  have  been  given  out 
by  returning  miners  concerning  the  possibilities  of 
starvation  in  the  Klondyke  country  during  the  coming 
fall  and  winter,  thousands  of  people  here  are  bending 
every  energy  to  reach  the  land  of  gold. 

Most  of  the  available  steamers  and  \achts  have 
been  chartered  by  private  individuals  and  speculators, 
and  there  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  they  will  have  a 
full  complement  of  passengers  when  tl.c  time  for  sail- 
ing arrives. 

The  gasoline  steamer  Chalco^  ms  been  purchased 
by  an  English  syndicate  for  $8,oo(»  1*  is  the  inirpose 
of  ^e  syndicate  to  take  one  hundred  ni<'i  who  will 
put  up  $1,000.  They  will  work  on  the  co-Oj>erative 
plan. 

The  gasoline  schooner  Hattie  H.  has  also  been  sold 
to  a  company  of  adventurers.  The  schooner  Jam<  s 
A.  Garfield  has  been  chartered  by  the  Alaska  Commer- 
cial company  to  take  a  load  of  merchandise  to  St. 
Michaels/' 


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M      OFFIOIAIi  OUIDB  TO  TR8  KUOfWTKB  COXSHTSLlt 

PORTLAND  CATCHES  THE  CRAZE. 

Portland,  Oregon,  also  felt  the  swift  rush  of  en- 
thusiasm, as  the  following  from  a  local  paper  will 
show: 

"The  announcement  thatthc  steamship  Gforge  Elder 
would  sail  from  Portland  July  30  direct  for  Alaska 
has  caused  a  rush  to  the  office  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
Steamship  Company,  and  already  one-half  of  the  pas- 
senger accommodations  have  been  sold  and  "^  large 
amount  of  freight  space  disposed  of. 

"Orders  for  miners'  supplies  have  been  coming  into 
the  city  by  the  hundreds,  and  merchants  in  Seattle  are 
unable  to  meet  the  enormous  demand.  A  wholesale 
dry  goods  house  of  this  city  has  had  a  force  of  seven- 
ty-five men  and  twenty-five  girls  at  work  night  and 
day  for  five  days  on  rush  orders  of  clothing  for  intend- 
ing prospectors. 

"A  bag  company  is  also  hard  at  work  on  an  order 
for  1,600  canvas  bags  to  be  made  especially  for  the 
carrying  of  clothing  and  provisions.  They  are  also  se- 
curing a  large  number  of  tents.  The  woolen  mills  at 
Salem,  Ore.;  Oregon  City  and  Albany  have  all  in- 
creased  their  forces  to  meet  the  demand  for  heavy 
woolen  goods. 

SEATTLE  GREATLY  EXCITED. 

Seattle  went  wild,  a'?  did  every  western  city,  when 
the  news  of  the  Eldorado  struck  it.  Following  are  a 
few  ecerpts  from  local  papers: 

"It  is  authoritatively  stated  here  tonight  that  ex- 
Governor  J.  H.  McGraw  and  General  E.  M.  '^"arr,  who 
left  Seattle Thursdayon  the  Portland  for  the  Klondyke, 
go  as  representatives  of  a  New  York  company  with 
$5/xx>,ooo  capita],  headed  by  J.  Edward  Addicks  of 


Pi 

i>5' 


t  [ 


-«*«^' 


AND  TBE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


I 


VI. 

Pi 


Delaware.  The  company  is  to  complete  incorpora- 
tion in  New  York  Monday.  The  Western  directors 
are  ex-Gcvcmor  McGraw,  General  Carr,  and  George 
B.  Kittinger  of  this  city.  It  is  also  said  that  Senator 
John  L.  Wilson  is  interested.  It  is  to  be  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  the  Yukon,  Caribou,  British  Colum- 
bia Gold  Mining  Development  company,  limited. 
Ge^r^e  B.  Kittinger,  Mr.  Addicks'  confidential  "man- 
ager, will  follow  McGraw  and  Carr  tc*  the  north  in  a 
few  days.** 

A  LARGE  PARTY  FOR  ALASKA. 

Here  is  another  story  from  Seattle  indicative  of  the 
strength  of  the  fever  as  it  obtained  on  the  coast: 

"Aii  of  Seattle  crowded  down  to  the  harbor  today 
to  say  farewell  to  the  gold  hunters  who  started  on  the 
Portland  for  the  Klondyke  fields  at  4  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon. 

"The  city  was  in  holiday  attire  and  business  was 
practically  suspended.  All  interest  focused  on  the 
wharf,  where  fully  10,000  persons  gathered  and  talked 
of  gold.  Nothing  else  is  talked  of  here.  Discipline 
in  the  municipal  departments,  stores  and  every  sort  of 
business  is  gone.  Every  salaried  man  is  endeavoring 
to  get  passage  to  Alaska,  and  employers,  fearful  of 
being  left  without  help,  have  nothing  to  say  when 
clerks  choose  to  go  to  the  wharves  or  step  out  to  t'Jk 
of  gold  with  any  chance  acquaintance. 

"From  12  o'clock  noon  up  to  'le  time  of  departure 
ten  thousand  people  thronged  the  wharf,  constantly 
coming  and  going.  People  were  scattered  along  the 
bluflf  and  could  be  seen  in  all  windows  overlooking 
the  bay.  Last  farewells  were  said  dozens  of  times, 
and  while  some  laughed  and  joked,  others  were  sad, 


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and  not  a  few  shed  tears.  The  moment  the  words 
'cast  off  the  lines'  were  heard  a  hush  swept  over  the 
crowd. 

The  big  black  hulk  moved  away  from  the  wharf 
and  the  crowd  surged  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  water's 
edge.  Then  it  was  that  the  motliers,  wives  and  sweet- 
hearts hid  their  faces  and  wept.  Those  on  board  were 
more 'cheerful  than  those  on  shore.  The  adventurous 
spirits  who  seek  gold,  to  make  and  in  many  cases  re- 
coup fortunes,  held  ev  i  ■•  point  of  vantage  on  the 
steamer.  Five  or  six  women  were  counted  and  one 
lo-year-old  girl. 


I   I 


AN  OLD  YALE  MAN  ABOARD. 

"Ex-Governor  John  H.  McGraw  stood  on  top  of  the 
cabin.  At  his  side  was  his  son  Thomas,  a  mere  boy. 
General  E.  M.  Carr  of  the  national  guard  was  at  the 
governor's  elbow.  Captain  A.  J.  Balliet,  one  of  Yale's 
famous  oarsmen,  and  George  Folsom,  member  of  a 
prominent  family  of  Boston,  could  be  seen. 

"The  Portland  is  owned  by  the  North  American 
Transportation  Company  and  will  unload  7,000  tons 
of  provisions  at  Dawson  this  season.  She  has  1,000 
tons  of  general  merchandise  on  board  this  trip,  mostly 
food.  Her  official  list  shows  128  passengers.  The 
steamer  Cleveland,  which  has  been  chartered  by  the 
same  company  that  owns  the  Portland,  sails  for  St. 
Michaels  and  Klondyke  Aug.  5,  and  will  land  passen- 
gers there  Sept.  10. 

"Fred  Price,  a  Se-^ttle  man  who  has  returned  from 
Klondyke  with  several  thousand  dollars  in  gold  dust, 
says  that  there  is  great  fear  of  suffering  on  the  part 
of  those  who  attempt  to  go  into  that  country  without 
an  abundance  of  supplies  of  provisions.     He  does  not 


;  I 


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>^t\     A*    V 


'  T.X.- 


AKD  THK  GOI4>  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA.  Bl 

believe  the  trading  companies  can  begin  to  supply  the 
demand  which  will  be  made  on  them..  Price  thinks 
the  men  who  take  up  horses  to  cross  the  pass  from 
Dyea  will  do  well.  They  can  get  their  provisions  in 
easy  that  way  and  sell  the  horses  for  meat  afterward. 

A  REPRESENTATIVE  SCENE. 

Here  is  a  story  fairly  descriptive  of  the  scenes  on 
the  Western  coast: 

"When  the  steamer  Alki  turned  her  nose  northward 
today  she  carried  more  than  loo  enthusiastic  gold 
hunters  bound  for  the  Klondyke  regions  in  Alaska. 

"The  piers  were  black  with  crowds  of  people,  who 
cheered  the  departing  friends  lustily  and  wished  them 
good  luck.  Many  of  those  who  managed  to  secure 
passage  are  making  their  last  journey,  for  the  climate 
of  Alaska  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  and  only  the  most 
rugged  and  healthy  can  hope  to  survive  the  rigors  and 
hardships  of  the  new  camp. 

"But  even  with  the  knowledge  that  they  were  going 
to  almost  certain  death  the  fortune  hunters  made 
merry  and  mocked  at  those  unable  to  crowd  on  the 
steamer. 

"The  majority  of  those  starting  today  will  make 
what  is  called  the  overland  trip  to  Klondyke.  From 
Juneau  they  go  loo  miles  further  by  water  to  Dyea 
then  over  the  mountain  passes,  down  Lakes  Linder- 
man  and  Bennett  to  the  Yukon  River,  and  from  that 
river  to  the  new  discoveries.  .  ^    , 


* 


i,^ 


RICHEST  MINES  IN  THE  WORLD. 

"Thomas  Morah,  an  old  miner,  who  has  just  come 
from  the  Klondyke  after  a  three  years'  sojourn,  bring- 
ing with  him  $25,000  worth  of  gold  dust,  left  this 


*,'■'•■"'•''  ^  ■' 


I!      < 


f  I' s 


ii  I 


!| 


ri    I 


'J 


5  I 


«    omciAL  ouiou:  to  the  klondtkb  country 

morning  for  San  Francisco.  Before  going  he  said  that 
it  was  beyond  the  power  of  one's  mind  to  realize  the 
wealth  that  was  being  taken  from  Mother  Earth. 
'Pockets  are  being  discovered/  he  said,  'that  contain 
large  amounts  of  pure  virgin  gold." 

Mr.  Moran  also  gave  the  first  account  of  what  is 
known  in  the  Klondyke  as  "Too  Much  Gold  Creek.'  . 
Only  two  white  men  have  ever  reached  it,  and  they 
had  to  give  up  and  turn  back  because  they  had  no  pro- 
visions. This  creek  of  fabulous  wealth  is  about  700 
miles  from  the  Klondyke  and  is  known  to  Indians, 
who  refuse  to  reveal  its  location.  The  Indians  sayi 
there  is  too  much  gold  for  white  men,  meaning  that  if 
the  secret  is  given  out  there  will  be  another  rush." 

DESERTING  ALASKAN  TOWNS. 

A  telegram  to  Port  Townsend,  Wash.,  says: 

"The  excursion  steamer  Queen  has  arrived  from 
Alaska  with  170  passengers,  principally  tourists.  The 
officers  of  the  Queen  state  the  merchants  and  trades- 
men in  both  Juneau  and  Sitka  are  closing  their  stores 
and  shops  and  hastening  to  the  new  Eldorado.  Fifty 
business  men  left  Juneau  for  Dawson  City  on  July  12, 
and  150  would  leave  on  the  i6th,  two  days  after  the 
Queen  sailed. 

"The  officers  say  that  by  the  time  the  Queen  re- 
turns to  Juneau  on  her  return  trip,  nine  days  hence, 
there  will  not  be  an  able-bodied  man  left  in  town. 
Many  men  are  leaving  Juneau  for  the  gold  fields  with- 
out provisions  or  means  to  buy  them. 

"The  steamer  Alki  sailed  for  Alaska  at  midnight. 
She  carries  forty  horses  and  1,000  sheep  for  Dyea, 
where  they  will  be  landed  and  driven  across  the  sum- 
mit to  the  Yukon  Valley.    Stockmen  say  the  sheep 


.■'••*Vj 


AND  THV  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA.  « 

arc  the  finest  band  ever  collected  oflF  Eastern  Washing- 
ton ranges.  They  will  be  taken  to  Circle  City  and 
Klondyke  and  slaughtered.  Any  kind  of  fresh  meat 
there  sells  at  50  cents  a  pound. 

OFF  FOR  THE  KLONDYKE. 

The  new  Golconda  made  men  mad  when  the  first 
news  was  brought  in.  In  Seattle  the  craze  was  un- 
bounded. Hear  what  authentic  eye-witnesses  say  of 
it: 

"Trembling  with  the  gold  hunting  fever,  flushed 
with  stories  of  others'  marvelous  luck,  old  and  young, 
sick  and  well,  herded  with  sheep  and  horses  on  board 
the  steamer  Alki  today,  lest  they  should  miss  the  first 
chance  to  go  to  the  gold  Golconda  of  the  Klondyke 
district  in  Alaska. 

"The  rush  to  the  new  gold  field  where  fortunes  are 
being  dug  out  every  day  began  today.  The  stories  of 
the  returned  miners,  loaded  with  gold  and  tales  of 
wealth  still  hidden  in  the  earth,  have  started  a  fever 
among  the  residents  of  the  Pacific  states.  The  first 
boat  to  leave  for  Alaska  was  crowded  and  the  fever 
has  spread  so  much  that  San  Francisco  capitalists 
are  planning  to  build  a  railroad  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Yukon  River  to  the  heart  of  the  gold  district  along 
the  Klondyke  River." 

CRAZED  BY  LUST  OF  WEALTH. 

"The  steamer  Portland  arrived  from  Alaska  yester- 
day bearing  gold  and  more  tales  of  the  richness  of  the 
new  find  under  the  Polar  star.  Stories  of  the  hard  win- 
ter and  rough  conditions  of  existence  in  the  Klondyke 
with  eyes  of  chagrin  and  envy  on  the  lucky  ones  as  the 
fever  from  taking  the  first  trip  to  the  uew  Eldorado. 


i  iir 


I 


ti 


.    :l 


^1'    II 


m      OFFICIAL  aUIDB  TO  THB  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

And  Seattle  was  crowded  today  with  people  who  had 
gone  mad  for  wealth — those  who  had  resolved  to  take 
passage  in  the  steamer  Alki  and  those  who  could  not 
afford  to  pay  for  a  ticket. 

"The  Alki  started  for  Alaska  this  afternoon  with 
125  passengers,  800  sheep  and  50  horses.  Crazed 
with  the  gold  fever  and  tlie  hope  of  reaching  Klon- 
dyke  quickly,  the  passengers  bade  good-bye  to  thou- 
sands on  shore  who  were  crazed  because  they  could 
not  go.  Food,  comfort,  sleep  were  ignored  in  the 
fierce  desire  to  get  to  the  gold  fields.  Those  who 
could  not  go  to  Alaska  stayed  on  the  dock  all  day, 
shaking  hands  with  tliose  who  were  going  and  gazing 
with  eyes  of  chagrin  anc"  envy  on  the  lucky  ones  as. the 
steamer  started  for  the  north. 

"A  rumor  was  circulated  last  night  that  the  Alki 
would  not  be  able  to  carry  all  the  passengers  who  had 
bought  tickets  and  that  it  would  leave  port  during  the 
night.  Those  who  heard  the  rumor  carried  their  out- 
fit with  them  and  spent  the  night  on  the  dock  in  a 
fever  of  waiting  lest  the  boat  should  go  without  them. 
f 

LOVE  OF  GOLD  ALL-ABSORBING. 

"l-ieto«-e  dawn  both  the  lucky  ones  with  tickets  and 
those  who  could  not  afiford  to  go  began  to  gather  on 
the  dock.  Most  of  the  passengers  were  wild-eyed  and 
unkempt,  as  if  they  had  spent  a  restless  night  and  had 
been  in  too  much  of  a  hurry  to  wash  themselves.  They 
gazed  with  hungry  eyes  on  the  steamer,  looked  vainly 
for  the  gangplank,  and  hugged  their  outfits  as  if  they 
were  favorite  children.  All  human  passions  and  de- 
sires except  fear  seemed  to  be  submerged  in  the  all- 
absorbing  lust  for  gold.  The  fear  that  shone  in  the 
eyes  of  the  passengers  was  that  of  missing  the  boat  and 
fabulous  wealth. 


.   <i»    ^It^      |«L<l.l,iy:<^. 


AND  TRB  QOLD  FUDL.D6  OF  ALAgKA.  « 

"Where  thr  polcl  hunters  came  from  it  was  hard  to 
tell.  There  were  faces  in  the  crowd  unfamiliar  to  Se- 
attle. The  fever  which  has  been  raging  here  in  the 
most  virulent  form  during  the  last  forty-eight  hours 
fias  spreaJ  through  every  town  and  hamlet  and  these 
have  sent  thei*    juota  to  the  Klondyke. 

"None  of  the  passe ii<;ois  would  leave  the  dock  to  get 
a  meal.  Some  declared  they  had  food  with  them,  but 
they  did  not  eat  it.  OtJiers  declared  they  surely  would 
not  be  hungry  until  the  steamer  had  left  for  the  far 
north. 

GRIM  PATHOS  IN  THE  SCENE. 

"There  was  grim  pathos  in  the  scene  on  the  dock 
while  the  goldlmnters  were  waiting  for  permission  to 
go  on  board.  Some  were  taking  passage  who  would 
surely  never  leave  Alaska  alive.  They  had  heard 
stories  of  the  returned  miners  that  health  was  an  abso- 
lute requisite  in  the  terrible  climate  of  the  Klondyke 
district.     Thev  smiled  and  knew  better. 

"One  man  said  he  was  suffering  from  lung  trouble, 
but  that  he  might  as  well  die  making  a  fortune  as  to 
remain  on  the  shores  of  Puget  Sound  and  die  in  pov- 
erty.^ 

"Not  an  inch  of  room  was  left  on  the  Alki.  It  was 
tested  to  its  utmost  capacity.  Excited  men,  drunk  with 
visions  of  fortunes,  were  huddled  among  the  sheep, 
horses  and  baggage.  Space  was  valuable,  and  a  cattle 
pen  had  been  constructed  on  the  main  deck,  which 
had  hitherto  been  reserved  for  passengers,  The  sheep 
were  put  on  board  only  after  the  crowd  had  been 
driven  back  from  the  steamer.  On  the  main  deck  the 
horses  and  sheep  will  stay  until  the  journey  by  water  is 
ended.  When  port  is  reached  the  pen  will  be  reduced 
to  its  original  state  and  the  lumber  put  to  nev/  use. 


1' 


'■A 


!  ' 


1  \ 

I  I 


?  1^^ 


\ 


y 

i 
» 

!  I, 
I    '' 


'   I 


pwmcut*  ovmta  to  tkb  klondtjob  countrt 

"It  was  the  intension  that  the  steamer  sliould  leave 
at;  9  o'clock  this  morning^,  b^ut  if  the  company  had  at- 
tempted to  send  it  away  at  that  time,  the  gold  hunters, 
who  still  had  their  baggagi-  and  provisions  to  place 
aboard,  would  have  used  iarce  to  prevent  it. 

"'When  are  you  going?'  the  captain  was  asked. 

"'Whenever  the  me  i  who  have  bought  tickets  will 
permit  us,'  was  the  answer. 

KLONDYKE  FEVER  SPREADS  FAR. 

The  Kiondyke  craze  in  New  York  is  alarming  con- 
servative nev^spapers.  The  World  warns  adventurers 
against  the  possibilities  of  the  arcl.c  winter.  Fred- 
e;4ck  Hobart  of  the  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal 
says  thai  it  would  be  foolish  iov  any  one  to  go  to  Kion- 
dyke this  year,  as  they  would  not  arrive  in  time  to  ac- 
complish anything.  Other  mining  and  enginx^ering  ex- 
perts give  similar  opinions  and  returned  adventurers 
&ay  that  the  Kiondyke  will  kill  more  men  than  it  en- 
riches. 

Even  in  Jophi>,  Mo.,  tlie  Kiondyke  fever  has  found 
a  lodgment  and  a  company  known  as  the  Alaska  Min- 
ing company  has  been  formed,  while  twenty  advance 
prospectors  are  to  be  sent  to  the  gold  country, 

MINNEAPOLIS  FEELS  IT. 

This  is  from  a  Minneapolis  paper  and  shows  the 
prevalent  feeling: 

"The  three  railroads  running  out  of  Minneapolis  to 
uie  coast  are  sending  parties  to  Alaska  who  will  pros- 
pect for  gold  in  tlie  new  fields. 

"The  excitement  has  been  incteajsed  bv  the;  wonder- 
ful  rcportft  received  during  the  ihe  last  few  days,  and 
the  liicket  ofikes  are  beaicged  daily  with  doxcm  of 


i'if 


4 


mteimm^isi^mmmmim>! 


ANt>  THB  QOLD  FIELDS  QV  ALASKA. 


people  who  inquire  about  rates,  and  state  their  inten- 
tion of  leaving-  Minneapolis  for  the  gold  fields. 

"The  cost  of  transportation  from  ".Minneapolis  is 
$150,  and  this  is  too  large  an  amount  for  many.  Some 
are  going  so  far  as  to  dispose  of  their  pn:)perty  inter- 
ests here  that  they  may  have  the  necessary  funds. 

"The  Great  Northern  received  a  report  from  L.  S. 
McCleiman  and  W,  W.  Cleveland,  who  left  here  last 
week,  and  they  said  they  were  offered  a  bonus  of  $40 
for  their  tickets  when  they  reached  the  oast,  because 
of  the  rush  for  accommodations  on  steamship  lines. 

MILWAUKEEANS  ARK  GOING. 

"Many  people  in  this  city  have  been  inoculated  with 
tlie  Alaska  gold  virus,  and  about  twenty  mcji  will  go , 
from  lure  at  once  to  the  famed  fields  of  the  Klondyke. 
General  Agent  Youtig  of  the  Great  Northerti  road  was 
flooded  with  inquiries  today  as  to  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation and  the  quickest  route  to  the  frigid  Eldo- 
rado. 

''Many  of  those  who  came  to  the  office  said  that 
they  would  leave  immediately,  and  others  said  they 
would  go  witiiin  a  few  weeks.  The  agent  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  was  also  the  recipient  of  man\  in- 
quiries for  transportation  to  the  new  gold  fields.  In 
nearly  every  case  those  intpuring  are  men  who  have 
had  no  experience  in  mining.  The  attack  of  the  fever 
is  considered  acute  for  this  conser\ative  town,  and 
Milwaukee  can  be  counted  on  to  turnisii  its  quota  of 
workers  in  the  new  gold  fields. 

GOLD  THE  MAGIC  WORD. 

"Gold,"  magic  word,  rings  from  one  end  of  Chicago 
to  the  other — says  a  Chicago  report. 


!i^ 


■  \ 


'111 


!     !l 


I    i 


i"'  '':■;  t'li) 


m       OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COtTNTIlT 


Since  the  {^erms  ot  the  infection  first  reached  here 
from  the  Pacific  coast,  the  gold  fever  has  been 
sweeping  the  city  like  a  plague.  Thousands  and 
thousands  in  Chicago  are  in  the  worst  stages,  anxi- 
ously trying  to  plan  immediate  expeditions  into  the 
Klondyke  regions.  Thousands  more  in  the  country 
near  Chicago  are  just  as  much  excited. 

It  is  not  con*  ncd  to  the  men  alone.  Women  have 
caught  the  enthusiasm  from  husbands,  fathers 
and  brothers.  Children,  listening  to  the  conversa- 
tions of  their  elders,  arc  abla/e  with  a  desire  to  go 
themselves  to  the  chilly  tiorth.  imagining  this  alone 
is  necessary  to  pick  up  wealth. 


CHICAGO  CATCHES  THE  INFECTION. 


I  i 


:  :      J: 


.i 


^  1 

i  ! 


News  of  the  retnarkabU'  gold  discoveries  has  caused 
much  excitement  in  Chicago,  and  since  the  first  word 
of  the  richness  of  the  lieUls  was  received  hundreds 
have  declared  tlioir  inlenlion  of  starting  for  the  north- 
ern country.  Women  as  well  as  men  are  interested 
and  already  have  arranged  their  affairs  so  they  can  go 
to  the  new  Eldorado,  h  ts  a  great  undertaking,  and 
that  tliis  fact  is  well  known  is  evidenced  by  tlie  class 
of  person?  making  up  the  ititended  emigrants.  They 
realize  there  is  little  chance  f<jr  a  man  without  means, 
and  nearly  all  who  have  signitied  their  intention  of 
seeking  to  wrest  fortunes  from  the  frozen  earth  in  the 
far  north  intend  taking  along  enough  money  to  sus- 
tain life  for  a  few  months  and  to  invest  in  machinery 
and  claims. 

At  the  office  of  the  North  American  Transportation 
and  Trading  company  a  steady  stream  of  callers  is 
seen,  all  anxious  to  learn  the  cost  of  a  trip  to  Alaska 
and  other  details  of  the  proposed  journey.    Dangers 


(ilwriniiiiiWiw^^ 


L.i^']' 


\sl*'  I 


I' 


AND  THK  OOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


and  peril  of  the  trip  are  known,  but,  as  in  the  days  of 
the  California  fever,  these  do  not  deter,  and  brave  men 
and  women  are  ready  to  risk  all  on  the  chance  of  ac- 
quiring the  hidden  wealth. 


MANY  SEEK  INFORMATION. 

Hundreds  of  men  are  daily  visiting  the  hearlquarters 
of  the  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading 
Company  in  the  Old  Colony  building,  anxiously  seek- 
ing- information  about  the  Klondyke  gohl  helds.  O. 
M.  Schantz,  agent  of  the  company,  has  been  busy  an- 
swering questions  from  the  men  with  the  gold  fe\'er. 
Since  Tuesday  over  1,000  men  have  called  on  him. 

Each  man  wants  to  know  how  to  reach  liie  field, 
what  to  take  and  the  cost.  Yesterday  a  man  called 
anci  said  he  had  $2cx)  and  was  going  to  the  gold  fields. 
Mr.  Schantz  advised  him  not  to  go  and  refused  to  sell 
him  a  ticket. 

"No  man  should  go  to  Alaska  unless  he  is  in  good 
health,  has  $1,000  in  his  pocket  and  is  not  afraid  of 
work.  There  is  g«>ld  in  Alaska,  InU  it  is  hard  to 
reach,"  .said  Mr.  Schantz. 

Old  men  and  people  who  are  not  strong  have  no 
business  hmuing  for  gold,  he  says. 

It  is  an  odd  ihionq  that  calls  on  the  transportation 
agent.  Each  visitor  has  the  "gold  look"  and  displays 
every  sign  of  being  nervous.  Each  man  wants  to 
know  the  quickest  time  he  can  make.  Somt;  say  they 
want  to  start  at  once,  but  they  are  advised  to  think 
the  iuatter  over 

OVEKLANI)  ROl  TE  ADMSED. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  winter  will  probably  over- 
take those  who  go  by  the  boat  of  Aug.  20,  the  trans- 


14- 


!li 

;■  i  ;i 

i:;> 


•  I 


:      I 


I 

■  .   !* 
il 


■-*    i 

I  ! 


}  ' 


i^ 


'I 


tt      OFFICIAL  QUIDS  TO  THB  KLONDTKE  CO  JNTRY 

portation  company's  officials  are  advising  applicants 
to  take  the  overland  route. 

At  the  offices  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul 
Railroad  Company  and  other  railroad  companies  there 
was  a  steady  stream  of  information  seekers,  the  same 
as  at  the  office  of  the  North  American  Transportation 
and  Trading  Company. 

F.  K.  Gustin,  a  lawyer  of  some  standing,  is  pre- 
paring to  send  a  party  to  Alaska  and  carry  on  a  large 
gr>ib-staking  business.  Afirents  will  be  sent  to  the 
geld  country  as  soon  as  possible  prepared  to  furnish 
money  and  supplies  to  grub-stake  as  many  men  as  care 
to  ^-ro. 

Mr.  Gustin  is  treasurer  of  the  Alaska  Gold  Mining 
and  Trading  Company, which  has  not  been  incorporat- 
ed, the  capital  stock  of  which  is  to  be  $1,000,000.  Last 
April,  an  agent,  L.  P.  Light,  was  sent  to  the  fields. 

SPECULATORS  IN  CLOVER. 

The  Klondyke  craze  has  struck  the  speculative  ele- 
ment hard.  Companies  of  all  kinds  are  being  or- 
ganized, while  the  signs  and  window-letterings  are  ap- 
pearing with  marvelous  rapidity  in  the  principal  busi- 
ness streets.  • 

Such  titles  as  "Yukon  Trading  and  Development 
Company,"  "The  Yukon  Gold  and  Supply  Company" 
and  the  "Klondyke  Improvement  Company"  are  to 
be  seen  on  every  hand. 

The  first  mining  company  to  file  articles  of  incorpo- 
ration is  the  Alaska  and  Yukon  Gold  Exploration  and 
Trading  Company,  limited.  The  capital  stock  is  $200,- 
000,  fully  subscribed. 

LONDON  SPECULATORS  EXCITED. 
Sir    Donald    Alexander    Smith,    the    Canadian 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  Off  ALASKA. 


high  commissioner  in  Lontlon,  has  been  be- 
sieged by  people  who  desire  to  go  to 
the  Yukon  mining  districts.  Most  of  the 
applicants  for  information  are  young  men  without 
money,  who  are  employed  on  farms  and  in  the  fac- 
tories. Would-be  emigrants  of  this  class  are  urged  to 
remain  at  home,  but  hardy  men,  with  a  capital  of  lOO 
pounds  or  more,  are  encouraged  to  leave  for  the  gold 
fields.  Several  solid  London  capitalists  are  interest- 
ing themselves  in  the  mining  territory  and  are  making 
investigations  with  a  view  of  organizing  mining  com- 
panies. Experts  have  been  dispatched  to  inspect  the 
region. 

Sir  Donald  has  issued  a  pamphlet  containing  much 
information  concerning  the  new  gold  fields.  Regard- 
ing the  suggested  exclusion  of  Americans  from  the  Yu- 
kon region  officials  here  say  there  is  nothing  in  the 
treaties  between  England  and  the  United  States  to 
prevent  such  action  on  the  part  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, but  as  a  matter  of  policy  it  is  unlikely  the  step 
will  be  taken. 

Various  steamship  companies  report  that  few  per- 
sons have  left  England  for  the  new  gold  fields  thus  far. 
This  is  probably  due  to  monetary  considerations. 

GOLD  FEVER  REACHES  NEW  YORK. 

The  Klondyke  gold  fever  has  reached  New  York. 
At  all  the  ticket  agencies  and  railroad  offices  inquiries 
are  being  made  about  rates. 

The  first  party  will  soon  leave  the  city,  consisting  of 
William  H.  Edwards,  a  young  lawyer  in  Mr.  Curtis' 
office,  a  son  of  "Billy"  Edwards  of  the  Hoffman 
House;  John  W.  Edv/ards,  a  Brooklyn  pharmacist, 
son  of  the  chief  engineer  of  the  Eric  basin  dry  docks; 


AH 


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10      OFFICIAL.  aUIDB  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTKf 

Dr.  James  W.  Bristol  of  Brooklyn  and  Charles  Edel- 
man,  a  civil  and  mining  engineer  of  this  city. 

In  addition  to  scientific  and  gastronomical  supplies 
furnished  pro  rata,  each  man  will  put  $1,250  into  a 
common  fund.  Every  detail  has  been  carefully  ar- 
ranged, and  all  that  remains  to  be  done  is  to  engage 
passage  on  the  Pacific  coast  steamship  Queen,  which 
will  sail  from  San  Francisco  on  Aug.  7.  This  will  be 
attended  to  by  former  Judge  Curtis,  who  .0  in  the  west 
on  legal  business.  All  supplies  will  be  p  irchased  at 
San  Francisco,  and  the  party  will  leave  the  Queen  at 
Juneau  and  go  overland  to  the  Klondyke  district. 

W.  B.  Fp.sig,  a  horseman  of  Cleveland,  well  known 
in  this  city,  is  authority  for  uie  statement  that  he  and 
a  number  of  New  Yorkers  have  chartered  a  steamer 
and  are  arranging  an  expedition  which  will  sail  for 
Alaska  in  September. 

A  CANADIAN  REPORT. 

A  blue  book  has  just  been  issued  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior  of  Canada,  which  contains  some 
very  interesting  facts  in  relation  to  the  gold-bearing 
regions  of  the  Yukon.  The  book  is  especially  inter- 
esting at  this  time,  as  it  completely  corroborates  the 
stories  of  marvelous  finds  of  gold  dust  in  that  section. 

According  to  the  reports  of  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,  the  major  portion  of  the  gold-producing  soil 
is  in  Canadian  territory,  though  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween Alaska  and  the  British  possessions  is  still  a  sub- 
ject of  dispute  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain.  The  present  rich  discoveries  will  probably 
lead  to  an  early  settlement  of  this  boundary  uncer- 
tainty, or,  at  least,  the  attempted  settlement,  for  where 
gold  fields  are  at  issue  boundary  questions,  as  experi- 
ence has  shown,  are  not  so  easily  adjusted. 


li 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


n 


i 


MARVELOUS  RESULTS. 

The  extracts  given  in  tlie  blue  book  are  from  the 
reports  of  Mr.  WilHam  Ogilvie,  D.  L.  S.,  who  was  sent 
out  by  the  Dominion  government  specially  to  investi- 
gate the  Yukon  district.  These  extracts  record  some 
marvelously  large  results  on  some  of  the  claims,  and 
would  seem  to  establish  the  fact  of  the  Yukon  being 
the  richest  gold-bearing  region  on  the  continent, 
not  excepting  California  in  its  palmiest  gold  days  or 
the  Kootenai  of  to-day. 

The  lack  of  transportation  facilities  is  tiie  one  great 
present  drawback  v/hich  prevents  all  those  owning 
claims  from  becoming  instant  millionaires.  The  long 
haul  makes  the  importation  of  mining  machinery 
almost  an  impossibility,  and  even  food  provisions  can 
with  difficulty  be  transported,  while  the  cost  of  the  lat- 
ter becomes  enormously  high.  As  much  as  $ioo  and 
even  $150  is  said  to  have  been  frequently  paid  for  a 
single  sack  of  flour.  Once  let  there  be  built  a  railroad 
from  some  jjotnt  on  the  coast  to  the  Klondyke  river, 
where  the  rich  finds  have  been  made,  and  wealth,  as  if 
by  the  magic  touch  of  a  magician's  wand,  will,  if  these 
reports  are  to  be  believed,  be  the  lot  of  the  fortunate 
ones  wIk)  have  boin  the  first  to  stake  out  their  claims. 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  two 
companies  are  now  petitioning  the  Dominion  govern- 
ment for  power  to  open  up  the  new  country. 

The  blue  book  extracts  cover  different  periods  be- 
tween September  4,  iH<)5,  and  January  23,  1897.  After 
descibing  in  detail  the  several  claims,  Mr.  Ogilvie 
says: 

SUPERB  PANNING. 


"It  is  beyond  doubt  that  a  considerable  number  of 


.t^':^^*^ 


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',..'¥' 


^!?^:,^1f  *^49Ma^*^'v.., 


n    ofucxai.  quids  to  the  klondtkb  countrt 

pans  of  the  dirt  on  different  claims  have  turned  out 
over  $200  worth  of  gold,  while  those  which  run  from 
$10  to  $50  have  been  very  numerous.  In  the  line  of 
these  finds  further  south  are  the  Cassiar  gold  fields,  in 
British  Columbia,  so  the  presumption  is  that  we  have 
in  our  territory  along  the  easterly  watershed  of  the 
Yukon  a  gold-bearing  belt  of  indefinite  width  and  u'> 
ward  of  300  miles  long,  exclusive  of  the  British  Co- 
lumbia part  of  it." 

Gold  is  not  the  only  mineral  wealth  of  the  Yukon, 
it  appears.  Mr.  Ogilvie  states  that  copper  has  been 
found  on  the  Ton-dac  creek,  above  Fort  Reliance, 
and  several  small  veins  have  been  found  in  the  vicin- 
ity. With  better  facilities  it  may  become,  he  says,  a 
valuable  feature  of  the  country.  A  small  seam  of  as- 
bestos was  also  found  a  short  distance  from  Fort  Cud- 
ahy,  and  as  there  is  quite  an  area  of  serpentine  in  that 
neighborhood,  asbestos  of  commercial  value  may  yet 
be  found. 

COAL  PROSPECTS.  '  ^ 

Still  another  valuable  feature  is  the  coal  fields  which 
the  district  possesses.  On  Coal  creek,  about  seven 
miles  up,  overlying  a  coarse  sandstone  and  under  drift 
clay  and  gravel,  a  seam  of  12  feet  6  inches  has  Y  »en 
discovered.  It  is  certain  that  coal  extends  along  the 
valley  of  the  Yukon  from  Coal  creek,  ten  or  twelve 
miles  down,  and  from  Coal  creek  up  to  Twelve-Mile 
creek,  which  flows  into  the  Yukon  about  thirty  miles 
above  Fort  Cudahy.  Coal  is  also  found  in  the  upper 
part  of  Klondyke  and  on  other  creeks. 

GREAT  RUSH  TO  TAKE  CLAIMS. 

A  great  scramble  is  taking  place  just  now  to  secure 
claims  along  the  Klondyke  river,  the  glittering  reports 


■i 

i 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


7S 


from  that  region  having  resulted  in  other  creeks  around 
having  been  practically  abandoned,  especially  those  at 
the  head  of  Forty-Mile  river,  in  American  territory. 
Men  cannot  be  got  to  work  for  love  or  money,  Mr. 
Ogilvie  says,  and  development  is  consequently  slow. 
The  wages  paid  the  few  men  who  have  to  work  for  hire 
are  $1.50  an  hour  and  work  as  many  hours  as  they 
like.  Some  of  the  claims  are  so  rich  that  every  night 
a  few  pans  of  dirt  suffice  to  pay  the  hired  help. 

The  following  extracts  taken  from  Mr.  Ogilvie's  re- 
port as  published  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
will  afford  some  valuable  information  as  to  particular 
finds: 

Gold-bearing  quartz,  the  report  states,  has  been 
found  in  Cone  hill,  which  stands  midway  in  the  valley 
of  the  Forty-Mile  river,  a  couple  of  miles  above  the 
junction  with  the  Yukon.  The  quantity  in  sight  sur- 
passes that  of  the  famous  Treadwell  mine  on  the  coast 
and  the  quality  is  better.  Were  it  on  the  coast  the 
Treadwell  would  be  diminutive  beside  it. 

Not  far  from  Cone  hill  a  ledge  had  been  found  last 
spring  on  the  Chindindu  river  (known  in  the  district  as 
the  Twelve-Mile  creek)  by  an  American  expert  pros- 
pecting for  the  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  company,  which  the  expert  said  he  had  never 
read  of  or  seen  anything  like  in  the  world.  He  had 
spent  years  of  his  life  in  the  best  mining  districts  of 
the  United  States,  and  he  assured  Mr.  Ogilvie  that 
this  section  of  country  promised  better  than  any  he 
ever  saw  before,  and  he  was  going  to  spend  the  rest  of 
his  life  there. 


.,1 


.,«( 


■I 


i; 


WORKINGS  ARE  UNUSUALLY  RICH. 
Placer  mining  is  being  carried  on  in  Bonanza  creek, 


* 

.  * 


1    ( 


1  •   _i 


!: 


74       OFPICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 

an  affluent  of  the  Klondyke,  and  the  workings  must 
be  exceptionally  rich,  for  three  men  worked  out  $75  in 
four  hours,  and  a  $12  nugget  has  also  been  found, 
showing  that  there  is  coarse  gold,  and  plenty  of  it. 
It  is  claimed  that  from  $100  to  $500  a  day  can  be 
made  off  the  ground  that  has  been  prospected. 

A  white  man  named  J.  W.  Carmach,  who  had 
worked  for  Mr.  Ogilvie,  in  1887,  was  the  first  to  lo- 
cate a  claim  on  this  creek.  As  he  was  very  short  of 
appliances,  he  could  put  together  only  a  rather  de- 
fective apparatus  with  which  to  wash  the  gravel.  He 
had  to  carry  the  gravel  in  a  box  on  his  back  for  a  dis- 
tance of  from  thirty  to  100  feet;  but,  notwithstanding 
this,  he  and  two  others,  working  very  irregularly, 
washed  out  $1,200  in  eight  days;  and  he  asserts  that, 
if  he  had  had  proper  facilities,  it  could  have  been  done 
in  two  days. 

On  the  same  creek  two  men  rocked  out  $;  in  about 
four  hours,  and  it  is  asserted  that  two  other  men  took 
out  $4,008  in  two  days  with  only  two  lengths  of  sluice 
boxes. 

"It  is  certain,"  is  Mr.  Ogilvie's  comment,  "that  mil- 
lions will  be  taken  out  of  this  district  this  year. 
Enough  prospecting  has  been  done  to  show  that  there 
is  at  least  fifteen  miles  of  this  extraordinary  richness, 
and  the  indications  are  that  there  will  be  three  or  four 
times  that  extent — if  not  all  equal  to  the  above,  at 
least  very  rich." 


k.'J 


VALUABLE  CLAIMS.      , 

Glacier  and  ^-liiler  creeks,  which  had  been  generally 
supposed  to  be  in  Alaska,  have  been  found  to  be  in 
Canada  for  some  distance.  They  are  tributaries  of 
Sixty-Mile  river  and  are  rich  creeks.    Both  are  fully 


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AND  THE  OOLD  FIBLI/V  OF  ALASKA.  H 

located  and  worked,  each  claim  being  500  feet  along 
the  creek  and  the  width  of  the  valley  or  c.eek  bed. 

On  Miller  creek  it  was  estimated  that  one  particular 
claim  would  yield  about  $ioo,fxx)  during  the  season, 
which  would  net  the  owner  between  $50,000  and 
$60,000.  There  arc  many  other  creeks  in  this  vicinity 
yet  to  be  prospected.  Cold  is  found  all  along  the  val- 
ley of  Sixty- Mile  river,  and  under  more  favorable  con- 
ditions, both  mercantile  and  climatic,  it  would  yield 
splendid  results  to  large  enterprises.  On  Gold  Bottom 
creek  and  bran;;hes  there  are  from  200  to  300  claims. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  rush  that  was  made  into  the 
district  when  its  richness  in  gold  was  established,  it 
is  mentioned  that  the  country  adjacent  to  Forty-Mile 
river  was  almost  deserted.  Men  who  had  been  in  a 
chronic  state  of  dninkenness  for  weeks  were  pitched 
into  boats  as  ballast  and  taken  up  to  stake  themselves 
a  claim,  and  claims  were  even  staked  by  their  friends 
for  men  who  were  not  even  in  the  country  at  the  time. 


i 


:i 


'( 


.    '  %      CHAPTER  or.  .    '       ,     . 

DISCOVERY  AND  i  OCATION  OF  KLON- 

D\KE. 


^ '.  ■ 


An  Earlv  Discoverer — Hoi:^l  the  Stars  and  Stripes — 
Prc'part:  to  Rough  it — Where  to  Gei  the  Gold — Ex- 
istence of  IMacers — Wealth  o?  Ccx^k's  Inlet — The 
Search  for  Miueral—Working  the  Gravel — Climatic 
DifJuult'.es — Forsaken  by  Wild  Animals— Wealth 
oi  Alaska — Rig  Outi)ut  for  1897 — First  Great  Gold 
Cra7<' — The  First  Claim  Located — Placer  Mining 
Laws — A  Comparison — An  Expert's  Opinion — 
Gold  (lalorf — To  Thaw  tiie  Ciroimd — Dirt  Piled  on 
a  Dmnp — Peculiarity  of  Yukon  Mines — Size  of  a 
Claim — A  Chica.^oan's  Observations — Gold  Fiom 
the  River's  Bed, 


I 


"What  makes  my  blood  run  faster  in  my  veins  is  to 
think  that  I  have  walked  all  over  that  gold  and  tliat 
now  others  are  digging  it.  It  prevents  me  from  sleep- 
ing at  night." 

The  speaker  was  l-'rancois  Merrier,  a  resident  of 
Montreal,  who  can  claim  the  honor  of  having  been 
one  of  the  first  band  of  hardy  pioneers  who  raised  the 
Ai'iierican  flag  over  the  now  celebrated  gold  fields  of 
Aliiiika,  and  who  spent  seventeen  winters  in  that  deso- 
late cmmtry.  Mr.  Merrier  is  a  native  of  St.  Paul 
rEnniie,  near  !'Assomi>ton,  aiid  k  r  '^v  60  years  old, 
but  he  if.  going  back.  Mr,  Mercitr  left  the  province 
oi  Quebec  to  visit  the  vast  and  then  desert  plains  of 

78 


ii 


A; 


¥M 


I 


:"(!:':■:  ■y.flii- 


.  .  .\ 


m      OFFZCIAIi  OXTIDn  TO  TRB  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

Montana,  where  he  pursued  the  chase  of  the  buffalo 
during  some  five  years,  in  the  employ  of  the  celebrated 
Chouteau  company  of  St.  I^uis,  Mo.  Afterwarrl  he 
returned  to  the  province  of  Quebec,  but  the  taste  for 
travel  was  too  strong  for  him,  and  in  1863  he  again 
started  for  the  great  west.  Thii.  time  he  settled  in 
San  Francisco  as  a  carriage-maker.  Just  about  that 
time  the  United  States  purchased  Alaska  from  Russia 
and  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Pacific  coast 
was  called  to  the  northern  territory.  Immediately  a 
trading  company  was  organized  to  take  advantage  of 
the  resources  which  the  chase  was  known  to  offer  in 
that  region.  This  was  known  as  thf  Piuneer  Com- 
pany, and  among  those  who  enlisted  in  the  enterprise 
were  Mr.  Mercicr  and  his  brother,  Moise,  as  well  as 
Michael  Laberge,  Nai)oleon  Robert  of  St.  Cesaire, 
Que.,  now  dead,  and  Kphraini  Gravel  of  St.  Martin, 
now  hving  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

STARS  AND  STRIPES. 

On  June  21,  1868,  the  party  arrived  at  St.  Michael, 
and  there  hoisted  the  first  American  flag  that  ever 
floated  over  the  United  States  arctic  territory.  That 
very  year  Mr.  Mercier  and  his  party  started  for  the 
upper  Yukon  and  founded  the  fort  of  Vukiakoyet, 
sometimes  called  Mer.;icr's  station,  300  miles  further 
up  than  any  Russian  post. 

Changes  followed,  and  Mr.  Mercier  became  general 
agent  for  the  Alaska  Connnercial  Company  in  1872. 
In  this  capacity  he  explored  many  of  the  rivers  of 
Ala.ska  and  in  1873  he  laid  out  the  site  for  Fort  Re- 
liance, which  <s  about  six  miles  from  the  mouth  of 
Klondyke  creek.  On  this  occasion  he  ascended 
the  river  with  the  first  steamer  that  navigated  it.  He 
says: 


ii  - 


AND  THB  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


4 


"From  what  I  read  and  know  of  the  country  I  can 
see  that  what  T  read  is  mainly  true.  As  to  the  chances 
for  working  the  mines  I  can  say  that  the  navigation 
on  the  Yukon  Is  generally  open  from  the  middle  of 
June  to  the  middle  of  October,  which  means  over  three 
months  of  the  year  for  work  on  the  j)lacers.  Now,  if 
you  keep  in  mind  that  during  these  munths  the  sun 
disappears  below  the  horizon  only  for  a  short  time 
each  day,  that  means  really  six  months  for  work.  At 
midnight  in  summer  it  is  light  enough  to  wiite  a  letter 
outside.  r\)r  years  I  kept  a  record  for  the  Washington 
weather  bureau,  and  in  summer  we  have  had  heat  of 
90  degrees,  while  in  winter  I  have  known  the  ther- 
mometer to  fall  to  68  degrees  below  zero.  The  first 
winter  we  were  there  the  thermometer  rapidly  fell  to 
the  last  notch  and  stood  there.  Jt  was  frozen.  We 
brought  it  inside  the  hou^ie,  where  it  ofttn  indicated 
zero.  However,  with  proper  clothing,  1  prefer  the 
winter  to  the  summer  weather.  In  the  warm  season 
the  flies  are  a  pest  from  which  it  is  very  hard  for  one 
to  protect  hunself.  But  in  winter  the  air  is  dry  and 
still,  and  with  the  fur  costume  worn  by  the  Esqui- 
maux one  need  not  fuffer.  In  fact,  I  do  not  recall 
many  accidents  due  to  the  cold. 

"As  to  the  food,  there  is  plenty  of  fish  and  game, 
and  when  the  population  was  sparse  it  could  be  bought 
very  cheap  from  the  Indians.  The  king  .salmon, 
weighing  from  sixty  to  eighty  pounds,  could  be  bought 
in  my  time  from  tlie  Indians  for  a  couple  of  leaves  of 
tobacco.  The  company's  stores  were  always  well 
stocked  with  provisions.  ' 

PREPARE  TO  ROUGH  IT. 
Anodier    Montreaiv    who    has    traveled    through 


■  i 


»  { 


4 


'i 


yi^iSf^ 


OFFICIAL  GUIDE' TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 


Alaska  in  the  recent  years  and  who  would  now  Hke  to 
be  there  is  J.  B.  Miron,  now  living  on  Quesnel  street. 
Mr.  Miron  was  a  miner  in  Alaska  from  1891  to  1895, 
and  he  went  back  to  San  Francisco  with  some  $14,000, 
which  he  took  out  of  a  500-foot  claim  in  fifty  days. 
During  the  years  which  preceded  this  find,  however, 
he  had  many  rough  experiences,  and  he  advises  any 
one  who  is  afraid  of  hard  times  not  to  go  out  there. 
He  himself  still  wishes  he  was  back  in  the  gold  fields. 
"Out  of  every  1,000  prospectors  who  go  to  Alaska," 
he  says,  "500  come  back  broke.  'It  is  a  dreary  occupa- 
tion to  wander  over  the  country  through  the  diminu- 
tive forests  and  volcanic  mountains,  and  one  must  have 
pluck  to  stick." 


WHERE  TO  GET  THE  GOLD. 

Gold  is  usually  obtained,  in  this  and  other  countries, 
either  in  thin  veins  or  in  plp^ers.  In  one  case  the 
precious  metal  still  remains  locked  in  the  crevices  of 
the  rock  into  which,  wiiile  in  a  molten  state,  it  has 
been  forced  upward  from  below  in  ages  past.  In  the 
other  the  action  of  the  weather  has  crumbled  the  in- 
closing walls  atid  liberated  the  treasure,  which  be- 
comes mixed  with  other  detritus  in  the  beds  of  streams. 
There  it  is  found  in  more  or  less  rounded  particles 
varying  in  size  from  the  merest  dust  to  nuggets  weigh- 
ing half  an  ounce  or  an  ounce.  The  latter  limit  is 
sometimes  exceeded. 

When  "pay  dirt"  has  been  discovered  the  separation 
of  the  gold  fiom  the  sand  and  gravel  is  easily  effected 
by  washing,  if  there  is  a  good  supply  of  water.  Costly 
hydraulic  works  have  been  constructed  in  California 
and  elsewhere  for  the  double  purix)se  of  supply mg 
water  jets  to  eat  away  the  gravel  banks  ard  to  extract 


J: 


it 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


the  precious  metal  when  once  it  has  been,  loosened 
from  its  environment.  On  the  other  hand,  the  dirt  is 
often  cleaned  up  with  the  aid  of  a  pan  that  can  be 
manipulated  by  the  miner  himself.  As  gold  is  heavier 
than  gravel,  it  settles  toward  the  bottom  of  any  bar  or 
bank  in  which  it  has  accumulated.  The  richest  part 
of  any  deposit  of  this  character,  therefore,  is  likely  to 
be  found  down  near  the  bed  rock. 

EXISTENCE  OF  PLACERS. 
Placers  exist  along  the  slope  of  the  great  mountain 
ranges  of  western  Nort'.j  America  all  the  way  from 
Central  Mexico  to  Alaska.  Some  of  them  have  yielded 
millions  of  dollars;  in  others  tliere  is  hardly  enough 
gold  to  pay  for  working  them.  Those  which  have 
attracted  attention  in  the  extreme  northwestern*  part 
of  the  continent  may  be  briefly  described.  Every 
schoolboy  remembers  that  the  territory  which  Mr. 
Seward  bought  from  Russia  and  annexed  to  the  United 
States  during  the  civil  war  consists  essentially  of  a  big 
square  track  lying  between  the  sixtieth  and  seventieth 
parallels  of  north  latitude,  with  a  peninsula  an  1  chain 
of  islands  reaching  away  to  the  southwest,  and  a  still 
narrower  strip  of  land  reaching  down  southeastward, 
past  British  Columbia,  to  the  fifty-fifth  parallel  of  lati- 
tude. Almost  without  exception  the  important  de- 
posits of  gold  in  Alaska,  so  far  as  known,  are  to  be 
found  in  this  last-named  strip  or  in  the  adjacent  islands. 
Juneau,  on  the  mainland,  and  Douglas  Island,  close 
by,  are  the  mopt  famous  centers  of  production.  The 
gold  is  found  here,  however,  in  veins,  not  in  placers. 
On  Kodiak  Island,  much  further  to  the  northwest,  but 
still  on  the  s^^xuth  shore  of  Alaska,  faint  indications 
of  gold  in  veins  were  found  about  thirty  years  ago, 
but  there  was  not  enough  to  pay  for  working  the  ore. 


'1i 


i 


n. 


M      OFFICIAL  OUIDB  TO  THE  KIX)NDTKB  COUNTRY 

WEALTH  OF  COOK'S  INLET. 

The  first  placers  to  be  worktd  in  Alaska,  probably, 
were  situated  near  the  head  of  Cook's  Island.  The 
richest  deposits  were  along  the  Six-Mile  Creek  and 
Resurrection  Creek,  and  yielded  from  $3  to  $10  a  day 
a  man  for  a  time.  These  mines  and  the  ones  further 
south,  with  a  few  of  less  consequence,  have  raised  the 
animal  output  of  gold  in  Alaska  from  2^15,000  in  1881 
to  more  than  $1,000,000  at  the  present  time. 

Both  veins  and  placers  were  foimd,  in  British  terri- 
tory, along  a  small  river  called  the  Stickine,  which 
reaches  the  Pacific  by  crossing  the  extreme  southeast- 
ern tip  of  Alaska.  In  the  southern  part  of  Brhish 
Columbia,  along  the  Eraser  and  Columbia  Rivers,  pro- 
ductive placers  have  also  been  worked. 

THE  SEARCH  FOR  MINERAL. 

In  hunting  for  gold,  prospectors  dig  a  hole  down  to 
bed  rock,  which  is  generally  found  at  a  depth  of  from 
fifteen  to  eighteen  feet.  The  first  twelve  feet  or  so 
of  earth  is  non  auriferous.  Under  it  lies  a  stratum  of 
coarse  gravel  three  :cct  or  more  in  thickness  which  is 
rich  in  the  precious  metal,  most  of  it  being  in  the 
shape  of  small  imggeis  or  grains.  It  is  called  "dust," 
but  it  is  much  coarser  than  the  dust  found  in  other 
parts  of  the  world.  Some  of  it  is  .so  large  that  a  big 
percentage  can  be  picked  out  by  hand  as  tl\c  gravel  is 
brought  up  out  of  the  hole,  but  the  general  practice 
is  to  sluice  or  pan  wash  it. 

The  feeble  suns  of  the  short  summer  do  not  thaw 
out  the  frozen  ground  to  its  full  tlepth,  and  it  has  to 
be  softened  by  building  huge  fires,  which  are  kept 
gomg  night  ar»d  day  ui.til  the  earth  is  in  such  shape 
that  the  miners  can  force  their  way  through  it  with 


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AND  THB  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


87 


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picks.  This  done,  a  number  of  holes  are  dug  on  each 
claim,  but  even  then  when  the  gold  gravel  is  taken 
out  it  is  in  frozen  chunks  resembling  small  masses  of 
concrete.  By  making  these  holes  in  the  summer  the 
miners  are  enabled  to  work  underground  a  portion  of 
the  winter  and  thus  prepare  for  an  early  wash-up  when 
the  spring  thaw  comes  in  June.  To  take  advantage 
of  this  the  gravel  which  has  been  dug  out  during  the 
winter  has  to  be  again  softened  with  fire  before  it  can 
be  put  through  the  sluices  or  pans  and  the  gold  sepa- 
rated. 

WORKING  THE  GRAVEL.    -         , 

The  gravel  is  packed  in  a  kind  of  clay  that,  when 
frozen,  makes  a  conglomeration  like  concrete,  through 
which  the  strongest  man  cannot  force  a  pick.  When 
this  gravel  is  thawed  it  is  broken  up  with  picks  and 
thrown  in  a  big  heap  with  shovels.  It  varies  in  depth 
from  fourteen  to  twenty  feet,  and  it  is  richest  in  gold 
close  to  the  bed  rock.  One  never  finds  gravel  so  filled 
with  coarse  gold.  The  miners  have  only  the  rudest 
apparatus  yet.  They  use  a  short  sluice  with  riffles  ar- 
ranged every  few' inches.  The  gold  is  so  coarse  that 
they  save  about  90  per  cent  without  any  quicksilver. 
Many  men  simply  use  the  pan  and  rocker.  What  is 
needed  is  a  device  for  the  rapid  softening  of  this  gravel. 

CLIMATIC  DIFFICULTIES. 

There  are  but  few  sane  men  who  would  deliberately 
set  out  to  make  an  arctic  trip  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
and  yet  this  is  exactly  what  those  who  now  start  for 
Klondyke  are  doing.  Experienced  arctic  voyagers, 
the  hardy  men  who  have  conducted  exploring  expedi- 
tions in  the  frozen  north,  invariably  begin  operations 
in  the  early  spring,  aiming  to  get  within  the  arctic 


* 

y. 


,1 


I  * 


mmi 


OFFICIAL  aUIDlS  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRT 


circle  about  the  time  summer  opens  and  the  extreme 
rigors  of  cold  are  somewhat  abated. 

In  no  other  way  can  they  hope  to  accomplish  any- 
thing of  vahic.  doing  to  the  Klondyke  is  to  all  prac- 
tical purf)oses  making  a  trip  into  the  arctic  circle. 
Klondyke  is  the  name  given  to  a  stream  which  empties 
into  the  Yukon  irom  the  British  side  of  the  imaginary 
line  which  at  the  141st  meridian  divides  Alaska  from 
the  possessions  of  Great  Britain.  For  eight  months 
in  the  year  the  entire  country  is  held  tight  in  the  grip 
of  icy  winter,  the  temi)erature  ranging  from  70  de- 
grees to  90  degrees  below  zero.  Last  winter  the  max- 
imum of  cold  was  70  degrees  below,  and  the  old-timers 
refer  to  it  as  an  unusually  mild  season.  The  ground 
freezes  solid  to  a  depth  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  rivers 
and  creeks  are  clasped  in  unbreakable  bonds  of  ice, 
while  on  every  side  great  fields  of  snow  cover  the 
ground. 


FORSAKEN  BY  WILD  ANIMALS. 

It  is  a  bleak,  barren,  moimtainous  land,  deserted 
even  by  wild  animals  of  all  kinds  save  when  a  hungry 
polar  bear,  attracted  by  the  smell  of  human  habita- 
tion, makes  an  occasional  predatory  incursion  in 
search  of  an  Indian  or  a  white  prospector  for  dinner. 
Winter  begins  about  the  middle  of  September  and  lasts 
until  late  in  May.  In  all  these  eight  months  the  only 
sources  of  food  supplies  are  the  salmon  in  the  ice- 
bound rivers  and  the  stocks  of  the  trading  companies' 
stores.  To  get  the  first  requires  dangerous  exposure 
in  the  extreme  cold;  possession  of  the  latter  can  be 
had  only  on  a  cash  basis,  and  even  with  plenty  of 
money  or  gold  dust  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  get 
enough  to  eat,  as  the  storekeepirs  have  to  deal  out 


I 


ii 


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•V..^^-?V:• 


AND  THE  UOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA.  » 

provisions  sparingly  to  puard  ajijainst  a  shortage  be- 
fore the  new  supphos  arrive  in  the  spring. 

It  is  in  thi-  four  months  of  so-called  summer,  a  sea- 
son <|f  nu'ltinjj  snows,  floods,  and  mud.  that  the  fleni- 
zens  of  northern  Alaska  do  their  work — so  far  as  it 
consists  of  labor  on  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

WEALTH  OF  ALASKA. 

It  is  well  in  eonsidorinp  the  wcahh  of  the  yellow 
metal  in  Alaska  to  take  into  account  a  few  figures  un- 
inllui-nced  by  the  present  excitement.  I'erhajjs  none 
more  reliable  are  to  be  had  than  those  furnished  by 
the  Alaska  Mining  Record,  in  its  summary  of  the  busi- 
ness of  last  year.  The  following  extract  shows  the 
output:  ' 

"The  output  of  the  mines  of  Alaska  is  difficult  of 
estimation.  The  vastness  of  the  mining  territory,  the 
extremely  migratory  characteristic  of  its  no|rulation 
and  the  entire  absence  of  reports  and  statistics  from 
a  great  part  of  the  smaller  camps  render  it  difHicult  to 
arrive  at  a  statement  approximating  correctness  except 
by  careful  study  and  \vat«.hful  attention  Icj  every  «le- 
tail.  The  following  estnnate  is  the  result  of  just  such 
work,  and  is  believed  to  be  as  nearly  correct  as  is  |)os- 
sible.  and  will  represein.  fully  yet  conservatively,  the 
pnxluction  of  gold  in  Alaska  during  i8<)6: 

Total  outjmt  of  cpiartz  mines $2,355,000 

Lituya  Bay  placer  mines I5,(^X) 

Cook  Inlet  placer  mines 175,000 

Birch  Creek  district,  Yukon  mines 1,300,000 

Other  Yukon  districts 800,000 

From  several  stnall  creeks  in  various  parts 

of  the  territory  worked  by  arrastras. . . .        25,000 

Tot.'.!  otitptit $ ♦.67,'),ooo 


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OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKK  COUNTRY 

BIG  OUTPUT  FOR  1897. 

"This  is  an  increase  over  1895  of  $1,670,000.  At 
the  same  time  the  number  of  new  discoveries  which 
promise  well  has  been  great.  These  will  be  more  or 
less  productive  during  the  next  year,  and  a  corre- 
sponding increase  is  assured.  Two  new  mills  ot  ten 
stamps  each  have  been  erected  during  the  past  year, 
and  sixty-five  stamps  have  been  added  to  mills  already 
operating,  bringing  the  r  mber  of  stamps  now  drop- 
ping in  Alaska  to  549,  of  which  all  but  ninety-four  are 
in  continuous  operation,  these  latter  being  closed  doM^n 
by  climatic  severities  during  the  winter  season.  As 
development  is  carried  forward,  however,  steps  are 
taken  to  overcome  this,  and  it  is  but  a  question  of  a 
short  time  when  all  our  mines  will  run  regardless  of 
climate  or  season.  It  is  quite  likely  that  during  the 
coming  summer  no  less  than  250  stamps  will  be  added 
to  the  present  number." 

FIRST  GREAT  GOLD  CRAZE. 


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I- 


The  first  groat  gold  craze  over  this  region  occurred 
in  1858.  The  Kootenai  region,  in  the  extreme  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  province,  was  famous  a  few  years 
ago.  The  Cariboo  district,  lying  on  the  fifty-third  pa- 
rallel of  latitude,  has  proved  the  most  steady  and  con- 
tinuous producer.  Still  further  north,  along  the  Peace 
River  (which  flows  eastward  and  discharges  into  Atha- 
basca Lake),  placers  have  been  worked  for  several 
years.  Most  of  the  old  placers  of  British  Columbia 
have  been  worked  out,  however.  There  was  a  period, 
along  in  the  sixties,  when  the  annual  production  of 
that  province  considerably  exceeded  $2,000,000;  and 
in  1864  it  rose  to  $3,735,850.    By  1890  it  had  dwindled 


m 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA, 


U 


away  to  less  than  half  a  million,  owing,  it  has  been 
asserted,  to  the  exhaustion  of  the  known  deposits. 

THE  FIRST  CLAIM  LOCATED. 

The  rich  placer  mines  of  gold  were  first  discovered 
on  the  branches  of  the  Klondyke.  The  discovery  was 
due  to  the  reports  of  Indians.  Mr.  Ogilvie  in  a  letter 
dated  November  6,  1896,  says: — "A  white  man  named 
J.  W.  Carmach,  who  worked  with  me  in  1887,  was  the 
first  to  take  advantage  of  the  rumors  and  locate  a  claim 
on  the  first  branch,  which  was  named  by  the  miners 
Bonanza  Creek.  Carmach  located  late  in  August,  but 
had  to  cut  some  logs  for  the  mill  here  to  get  a  few 
pounds  of  provisions  to  enable  him  to  begin  work  on 
his  claim.  The  fishing  of  Klondyke  having  totally 
failed  him,  he  returned  with  a  few  weeks'  .provisions 
for  himself,  his  wife  and  brother-in-law  (Indians)  and 
another  Indian  in  the  last  days  of  August,  and  imme- 
diately set  about  working  his  claim.  As  he  was  very 
short  of  appliances  he  could  only  put  together  a  rather 
defective  apparatus  to  wash  the  gravel  with.  The 
gravel  itself  he  had  to  carry  in  a  box  on  his  back  from 
30  to  100  feet.  Notwithstanding  this  the  three  men, 
working  very  irregularly,  washed  out  $1,200  in  eight 
days,  and  Carmach  asserts  with  reason  that  had  he  h«d 
proper  facilities  it  could  have  been  done  in  two  days, 
besides  having  several  hundred  dollars  more  gold 
which  was  lost  in  the  tailings  through  defective  ap- 
paratus. 

"On  the  same  creek  two  men  rocked  out  $75  in 
about  four  hours,  and  it  is  asserted  that  two  men  in 
the  same  creek  took  out  $4,008  in  two  days  with  only 
two  lengths  of  sluice  boxes.  This  last  is  doubted,  but 
Mr.  Leduc  assures  me  he  weighed  that  nmch  gold  for 


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them,  but  is  not  positive  where  they  got  it.  They 
were  new-comers  and  had  not  done  much  in  the  coun- 
try, so  the  probabiHties  are  they  got  it  on  Bonanza 
Creek.  A  branch  of  Bonanza  named  Eldorado  has 
prospected  magnificently,  and  another  branch  named 
Tilly  Creek  has  prospected  well;  in  all  there  are  some 
four  or  five  branches  to  Bonanza  which  have  given 
good  prospects.  There  are  about  170  claims  staked 
on  the  main  creek,  and  the  branches  are  good  for 
about  as  many  more,  aggregating  say  350  claims, 
which  will  require  over  1,000  men  to  work  properly." 

PLACER  MINING  LAW. 

The  term  "placer  claim,"  as  defined  by  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  is:  "Ground  within  de- 
fined boundaries  which  contains  mineral  in  its  earth, 
sand  or  gravel;  ground  that  includes  valuable  depos- 
its not  in  place,  that  is,  not  fixed  in  rock,  but  which 
are  in  a  loose  state,  and  may  in  most  cases  be  col- 
lected by  washing  or  amalgamation  without  milling." 

The  manner  of  locating  placer  mining  claims  differs 
from  that  of  locating  claims  upon  veins  or  lodes.  In 
locating  a  vein  or  lode  claim,  the  United  States 
statutes  provide  that  no  claim  shall  extend  more  than 
300  feet  on  each  side  of  the  middle  of  the  vein  of  the 
surface,  and  that  no  claim  shall  be  limited  by  min- 
ing regulations  to  less  than  25  feet  on  each  side  of 
the  middle  of  the  vein  at  the  surface.  In  locating 
claims  called  "placers,"  however,  the  law  provides  that 
no  location  of  such  claim  upon  surveyed  lands  shall 
include  more  than  twenty  acres  for  each  individual 
claimant.  The  Supreme  Court,  however,  has  held 
that  one  individual  can  hold  as  many  locations  as  he 
can  purchase  and  rely  upon  his  possessory  title;  that 
a  separate  patent  for  each  location  is  unnecessary. 


■  -V-  ■•■ 

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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


98 


I 


Locaters,  however,  have  to  show  proof  of  citizen- 
ship or  intention  to  become  citizens.  This  may  be 
done  in  the  case  of  an  individual  by  his  own  affidavit; 
in  the  case  of  an  association  incorporated  by  a  num- 
ber of  individuals  by  the  affidavit  of  their  authorized 
agen^  made  on  his  own  knowledge  or  upon  informa- 
tion and  belief;  and  in  the  case  of  a  company  or- 
ganized under  the  laws  of  any  state  or  territory,  by  the 
filing  of  a  certified  copy  of  the  charter  or  certificate  of 
incorporation.  •  ,      .       • 

A  patent  for  any  land  claimed  and  located  may  be 
obtained  in  the  following  manner:  "Any  person,  as- 
sociation or  corporation  authorized  to  locate  a  claim, 
having  claimed  and  located  a  piece  of  land,  and  who 
has  or  have  complied  with  the  terms  of  the  law,  may 
file  in  the  proper  land  office  an  application  for  a  pat- 
ent under  oath,  showing  such  compliance,  together 
with  a  plat  and  field  notes  of  the  claim  or  claims  in 
common  made  by  or  under  the  direction  of  the 
United  States  surveyor  general,  showing  accurately 
the  boundaries  of  the  claim  or  claims,  which  shall  be 
distinctly  marked  by  moimments  on  the  ground,  and 
shall  post  a  copy  of  such  plat,  together  with  a  notice 
of  such  application  for  a  patent,  in  a  conspicuous 
place  on  the  land  embraced  in  such  plat,  previous  to 
the  application  for  a  patent  on  such  plat;  and  shall 
file  an  affidavit  of  at  least  two  persons  that  such  notice 
has  been  duly  posted,  and  shall  file  a  copy  of  the 
notice  in  such  land  office;  and  shall  thereupon  be  en- 
titled to  a  patent  to  the  land  in  the  manner  following : 
The  registrar  of  said  land  office  upon  the  filing  of 
such  application,  plat,  field  notes  and  affidavits,  shall 
publish  a  notice  that  such  application  has  been  made, 
for  a  period  of  sixty  days,  in  a  newspaper  to  be  by 


I, 


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94       OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KL.ONDTKE  COUNTRY 


him  designated,  as  published  nearest  to  such  claim; 
and  he  shall  post  such  notice  in  his  office  for  the 
same  period.  The  claimant  at  the  time  of  filing  such 
application  or  at  any  time  thereafter,  within  sixty 
days  of  publication,  shall  file  with  the  registrar  a  cer- 
tificate of  the  United  States  surveyor  general  that 
$500  worth  of  labor  has  been  expended  or  improve- 
ments made  upon  the  claim  by  himself  or  grantors; 
that  the  plat  is  correct,  with  such  further  description 
by  reference  to  natural  objects  or  permanent  monu- 
ments as  shall  identify  the  claim  and  furnish  an  accu- 
rate description  to  be  incorporated  in  the  patent.  At 
the  expiration  of  the  sixty  days  of  publication,  the 
claimant  shall  file  his  affidavit  showing  that  the  plat 
and  notice  have  been  posted  in  a  conspicuous  place 
on  the  claim  during  such  period  of  publication." 

If  no  adverse  claim  shall  have  been  filed  with  the 
registrar  of  the  land  office  at  the  expiration  of  said 
sixty  days,  the  claimant  is  entitled  to  a  patent  upon 
the  payment  to  the  proper  officer  of  $5  per  acre  in  the 
case  of  a  lode  claim,  and  $2.50  per  acre  for  a  placer. 

The  location  of  a  placer  claim  and  keeping  posses- 
sion thereof  until  a  patent  shall  be  issued  are  subject 
to  local  laws  and  customs. 


•         .  A  COMPARISON. 

There  are  serious  drawbacks  to  the  northern  El- 
dorado aside  from  the  bitterness  of  its  long,  icy 
winters.  One  is  the  scarcity  of  natural  food  products. 
Nothing  can  be  grown  there;  everything  for  all  time 
to  come  must  be  imported  at  a  high  cost.  Another 
handicap  is  the  lack  of  woman's  society.  In  the  rush 
to  California  in  '49  men  took  their  wives  and  sweet- 
hearts with  them  in  many  instances,  and  as  the  cli- 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


17 


mate  and  agricultural  conditions  were  good,  it  was 
not  long  before  permanent  settlements  were  made 
and  the  nucleus  of  what  is  now  a  great  state  was 
started.  In  Alaska,  aside  from  one  or  two  daring 
tourists,  no  white  women  of  refinement  have  been 
seen,  and  few  will  care  to  brave  the  hardships  of  life 
there.  The  miners'  sole  companions  are  greasy,  blub- 
ber-eating Indians,  and  the  more  intelligent  dogs, 
which  serve  as  beasts  of  burden.  But  there  is  gold 
there,  and  day  and  night,  in  all  parts  of  civilized 
America,  there  goes  up  the  cry  of  "Klondyke  or 
bust." 

AN  EXPERT'S  OPINION. 

Dr.  William  H.  Dall,  one  of  the  curators  of  the 
National  Museum,  is  familiar  with  the  region  of  coun- 
try in  which  the  Klondyke  gold  fields  are  located 
through  having  been  on  several  geological  expedi- 
tions to  the  region  in  Alaska  adjoining  tne  gold  dis- 
trict, and  says  that  in  his  opinion  the  reports  from 
there  probably  are  not  exaggerated.    He  said: 

"The  gold-bearing  oelt  of  northwestern  America 
contains  all  the  gold  fields  extending  into  British 
Columbia,  what  is  known  as  the  Northwestern  Terri- 
tory and  Alaska.  The  Yukon  really  runs  along  in 
that  belt  for  500  or  600  miles.  The  bed  of  the  main 
river  is  in  the  lowlands  of  the  valley. 

"The  yellow  metal  is  not  found  in  paying  quanti- 
ties in  the  main  river,  but  in  the  small  streams  which 
cut  through  the  mountains  of  either  side.  These 
practically  wash  up  the  gold.  The  mud  and  mineral 
matter  is  carried  into  the  main  river,  while  the  gold  is 
left  on  the  rough  bottoms  of  these  side  streams.  In 
most  cases  the  gold  lies  at  the  bottom  of  thick  gravel 
deposits.     The  gold  is  covered  by  frozen  gravel  in 


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»       OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

the  winter.  During  the  summer,  until  the  snoviT  is 
all  melted,  the  surface  is  covered  by  muddy  torrents. 
When  the  snow  is  all  melted  and  the  springs  begin 
to  freeze,  the  streams  dry  up.  At  the  approach  of 
winter,  in  order  to  get  at  the  gold,  the  miners  find  it 
necessary  to  dig  into  the  gravel  formation.  Formerly 
they  stripped  the  gravel  off  until  they  came  to  the 
gold.  Now  they  sink  a  shaft  to  the  bottom  of  the 
gravel  and  tunnel  along  underneath,  in  the  gold-bear- 
ing layer. 

"The  way  in  which  this  is  done  is  interesting,  as 
it  has  to  be  carried  on  in  cold  weather,  when  every- 
thing is  frozen.  The  miners  build  fires  over  the  area 
of  which  they  wish  to  work  and  keep  them  lighted 
over  that  territory  for  the  space  of  about  twenty-four 
hours.  Then,  at  the  expiration  of  this  period,  the 
gravel  will  be  melted  and  softened  to  a  depth  of  per- 
haps six  inches.  This  is  then  taken  off  and  other 
fires  built,  until  the  gold-bearing  layer  is  reached. 
When  the  shaft  is  down  that  far  fires  are  built  at 
the  bottom,  against  the  sides  of  the  layer,  and  tun- 
nels made  in  this  manner.  Blasting  would  do  no 
good,  on  account  of  the  hard  nature  of  the  material, 
and  would  blow  out  just  as  out  of  a  gun.  The  mat- 
ter taken  out  containing  the  gold  is  piled  up  until 
spring,  when  che  torrents  come  down,  and  is  panned 
and  cradled  by  these.  It  is  certainly  very  hard  la- 
bor." -■•■;!:  ■-■;-v,:.:.rv 
GOLD  GALORE. 

"All  the  streams  in  the  northwest  territory,"  says  a 
returned  Missouri  miner,  "seem  to  bear  gold,  the 
yellow  nuggets  having  been  found  650  miles  below 
Dawson  City,  in  New  creek.  There  are  really  no 
mines  in  the  Klondyke  region,"  he  continued.    "The 


AND  THE  aOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


>■•  Y. 


general  public  seems  to  have  conceived  the  impres- 
sion that  we  are  taking  quartz  out  of  the  ground. 

"The  fact  is  that  there  is  nothing  but  placer  min- 
ing in  this  field,  and  it  is  a  very  peculiar  system  of 
mining  in  vogue,  too.  The  grour.d  up  there,  you 
know,  freezes  so  deep  and  so  hard  that  it  never  thaws 
out. 

'"The  gulches  are  all  overlaid  with  a  muck  or  mess, 
which  is  really  glacier  mud.  When  this  is  thawed 
out,  it  is  two-thirds  water  and  one-third  sediment. 
This,  of  course,  can't  be  thawed  with  fire  satisfactorily. 
It  must  be  blasted  or  picked  off.  We  made  some 
experiments  with  powder,  and  found  that  method 
very  successful,  buj:  had  not  enou^Ii  powder  to  do 
anything  extensive. 

TO  THAW  THE  GROUND. 

"After  this  murky  top  layer  is  cleaned  off,  the 
method  is  to  build  a  huge  fire,  probably  two  feet 
wide  and  six  or  eight  feet  long.  After  this  has 
burned  six  or  eight  hours  the  ground  beneath  it  is 
thawed  sufficiently  so  that  five  or  six  inches  of  dirt 
can  be  taken  out.  This  operation  is  repeated,  and 
it  is  found  that  the  deeper  one  goes  the  more  readily 
the  ground  thaws. 

"The  shafts  are  sunk  until  bedrock  is  reached.  That 
is  the  bottom  of  the  deposit,  and  on  Bonanza  creek 
it  is  encountered  at  a  depth  of  all  the  way  from  three 
to  twenty  feet.  The  pay  streak  is  often  150  feet 
wide,  and  when  bedrock  is  reached  what  is  tech- 
nically called  'burning  a  breast'  is  resorted  to.  That, 
in  plain  English,  consists  in  running  a  tunnel  on  a 
level  through  the  pay  streak.     •'    ' 

"The  ground  is  much  more  easily  thawed  in  these 


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100     OFFICIAL  QUIDU  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

tunnels,  and  it  not  infrequently  happens  that  one 
burning  thaws  out  fifteen  feet. 

"Ihere  is  plenty  of  wood  in  the  Klondyke  region, 
so  little  difficulty  has  been  experienced  on  that  score. 
The  farthest  I  had  to  go  for  timber  was  three-fourths 
of  a  mile,  while  some  of  the  more  lucky  claim  own- 
ers have  secured  all  they  wanted  within  half  that  dis- 

DIRT  PILED  ON  A  DUMP. 

'The  dirt,  as  fast  as  it  is  thawed  out,  is  hauled  to 
the  surface  and  piled  up  on  the  dump.  Most  of  the 
sluicing  is  done  in  August,  our  warmest  month. 
When  I  left  Dawson  City  there  were  many  million 
panfuls  on  the  various  dumps  along  Bonanza  Creek 
alone.  Some  of  these  huge  piles  of  precious  dirt 
have  probably  been  cleaned  up  since  I  left,  and  that 
is  what  has  probably  made  the  reports  that  are  now 
filling  the  newspapers  of  rich  strikes. 

"A  panful  of  dirt  is  the  standard  of  measure  in 
placer  mining  camps.  This  is  equiva'ent  to  about 
two  shovelfuls  the  size  of  a  California  shovel,  and  a 
panful  of  Bonanza  Creek  dirt  will  generally  average 
about  an  ounce  of  gold,  worth  $17,  but  I  have  seen 
it  run  as  high  as  $800.  The  gold  is  not  in  the  shape 
of  nuggets.  A  nugget  in  mining  parlance  is  a  pretty 
good-sized  piece  of  gold,  whereas  most  of  the  yel- 
low metal  found  on  the  Klondyke  is  about  the  size  of 
a  grain  of  wheat." 

PECULIARITY  OF  YUKON  MINES. 

The  mines  of  the  Yukon  are  of  a  class  by  them- 
selves, and  it  is  necessary  to  fo  low  new  methods  for 
getting  the  gold.  To  begin  with,  the  ground  is 
frozen.    From  the  roots  of  the  moss,  which  often  is 


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AND  THE  OOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


lot 


more  than  a  foot  thick,  to  the  greatest  depth  that 
ever  has  l)een  reached,  the  ground  is  as  hard  as  a 
bone.  The  gold  is  found  in  a  certain  drift  of  gravel, 
which  lies  at  varying  depths,  often  as  far  down  as 
twenty  feet.  Only  that  portion  of  the  gravel  just 
above  hard  pan — by  which  is  usually  meant  clay — 
carries  gold  in  any  quantity,  and  in  favored  locali- 
ties this  particular  gravel  is  extraordinarily  rich.  In 
fact,  there  is  more  free  gold  found  within  the 
same  space,  taking  the  whole  district  through,  than 
ever  was  found  anywhere  in  placers.  Toward  the 
heads  of  the  crcekh,  and  likewise  toward  the  original 
source  of  the  mineral,  this  gravel  is  found  nearer 
the  surface  than  at  places  further  down  the  .  reams. 
It  is  also  coarser  gold,  but,  on  the  other  i^and,  it 
covers  a  narrower  strip  of  the  valley.  Toing  down 
the  creeks,  the  deposit  is  spread  out  over  i  much 
wider  v,  and  is  deeper  in  the  ground.  The  gold 
i<5  in  smaller  particles,  but  the  quantity  may  be  as 
great  as  anywhere.  As  in  nearly  all  placer  mines, 
the  low  places  of  what  has  formerly  been  the  bed  of 
the  creek  are  the  richest,  the  deposits  decreasing  in 
quantity  toward  the  outer  edges. 


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;  SIZE   OF   A  CLAIM. 

■i 

The  size  of  a  claim  is  fixed  by  agreement  among 
the  miners  of  any  particular  locality.  It  is  a  section 
of  the  creek  of  a  certain  length — sometimes  200  feet — 
and  it  extends  from  rim  to  rim  in  width.  The  rea- 
son of  this  variableness  in  the  size  of  claims  on  the 
different  creeks  is  that  on  some  a  greater  length  is 
required  to  make  them  worth  a  man's  while  to 
work  them.  The  paying  deposits  may  be  scattered 
so  a  man  could  make  wages  only  by  working  here 


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m     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKB  COUNTtlY 

and  there  over  a  large  territory.  Of  course,  the 
conditions  surrounding  the  first  discovery  made  on 
a  creek  are  the  basis  for  fixing  the  Tze  of  a  claim 
on  that  stream.  The  discoverer  of  a  new  field  is 
allowed  two  claims,  while  others  are  permitted  to 
take  but  one  at  a  time.  However,  when  a  locater 
has  worked  out  his  assessment  of  a  few  days'  work 
he  is  at  liberty  to  take  another.  When  a  sufficient 
number  of  men  arrive  on  a  new  creek  to  make  it 
impracticable  to  work  together  in  harmony  without 
organization,  they  hold  a  meeting  and  elect  one  of 
their  number  as  register  or  clerk,  and  thereafter  a 
record  is  made  of  all  locations  and  all  transfers,  for 
which  a  small  fee  is  charged. 

A  CHICAGOAN'S  OBSERVATIONS. 

Most  enthusiastic  about  the  Klondykc  gold  field 
and  its  possibilities  is  John  W.  Gates,  president  of 
the  Illinois  Steel  Company,  who  arrived  at  Chicago 
from  the  northwest  recently.  He  brought  with  him 
as  souvenir^  of  his  trip  gold  in  the  shape  of  a  brick, 
bar,  dust,  and  nuggets  aggregating  over  $i,ooo  in 
value.  The  brick,  which  is  of  pure  gold,  is  valued 
at  $750,  while  the  bar  is  estimated  at  $76.  The  dust, 
showing  the  gold  as  taken  from  the  Klondyke  region, 
will  sell  for  $110,  and  the  nuggets,  all  of  which  but 
one  Mr.  Gates  has  given  to  friends  for  scarf  pins, 
are  valued  at  from  $10  to  $15  apiece.  The  one  he 
retained  as  an  exhibition  souvenir. 

Mr.  Gates  has  been  in  the  northwest  for  the  last 
month.  He  went  out  in  his  private  car  over  the 
Northern  Pacific  road,  and  at  Ashcroft  left  the  road 
and  traveled  by  stage  to  Barkerville,  300  miles  north. 
From  the  latter  town  he  rode  on  horseback  over  the 
mountains  forty  miles. 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


GOLD  FROM  THE  RIVER'S  BED. 


103 


In  this  country  he  saw  mines  from  which  $75,000,- 
000  has  been  taken  in  the  last  thirty  years,  and  he 
says  the  mines  are  not  exhausted.  He  learned  of  the 
experiment  that  is  being  made  in  the  Frazier  river, 
in  that  locality,  to  use  centrifugal  pumps  on  barges 
to  pump  up  the  earth  along  the  bottom  of  the  river 
and  wash  out  the  gold  that  has  been  deposited  there 
for  ages.  The  nozzles  of  these  pumps,  which  are 
screened  to  prevent  big  bowlders  from  being  taken 
in,  are  forced  to  the  bottom  of  the  river,  and  as  the 
sand  and  water  reach  the  top  of  the  barge  they  are 
carefully  screened,  so  that  all  the  gold  is  secured.  If 
the  experiment  proves  a  success,  Mr.  Gates  says  it 
will  revolutionize  placer  mining  and  prove  the  great- 
est boon  to  the  miners. 

Mr.  Gates,  after  leaving  British  Columbia,  went  by 
way  of  Vancouver  to  Seattle,  and  while  there  wit- 
nessed the  arrival  of  the  steamer  Portland  from 
Alaska,  which  brought  down  $1,250,000  in  gold  dust 
and  nuggets.  He  bought  the  gold  which  he  brought 
back  to  Chicago  from  different  persons  at  Seattle. 


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:^^ ':"■*':,■!■■?■  ■=^:'';'*!'';;f^?«aE» 


;  CHAPTER  IV.       : 

AT  THE  KLONDYKE  MINES.      ; 

Wonderful  Richness  of  Deposits  —  How  to  Fix  a 
Klondyke  Claim  —  What  Capt.  Higgins  Knows  — 
Fred  Price's  Experience  —  An  Authority  —  Fresh 
Confirmation — Along  the  Creeks — What  Mr.  Ogil- 
vie  Heard — Gold  Storage — He  Gives  a  Pointer — 
Two  French  Miners  —  What  a  Missouri  Miner 
Tells— A  Mild  Winter  in  Alaska— On  the  Cost  of 
Living — Kept  Tab  on  the  Buyers — The  Klondyke 
Capital — Great  Things  About  Dawson  City — It  Is 
a  Moral  Town — Mines  Not  at  Dawson — Gold  by 
the  Galloa— No  Night  in  Klondyke — What  to  Take 
Along — Mr.  Bowker  Met  a  Man — Jealous  Califor- 
nia— Nugget  Worth  $16,000 — Prospects  at  Klon- 
dyke— A  Summary  by  Californians — Big  Luck  for 
"Tenderfeet" — Gold  in  Frozen  Soil — Views  by  a 
Hardy  Mariner  —  From  a  Canadian  Editor  —  A 
Sober  Official  View — The  Toronto  Globe  Exults. 


t 


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,1.-; 
*■■• 


Wonderful  tales  are  told  of  the  great  richness  of 
the  Klondyke  placers.  More  than  one  man  reports 
having  obtained  $1,000  from  a  single  pan  washing, 
while  reports  of  yields  of  $500  and  $600  to  the  pan 
are  numerous.  An  ordinary  pan  of  gravel  will  weigh 
twenty-five  pounds  and  a  yield  of  $1,000  worth  of 
gold  means  sixty-two  ounces,  or  nearly  one-sixth  of 

104 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


lOS 


the  entire  bulk  in  precious  metal.  The  average  is  said 
to  be  $50  to  the  pan,  and  this  is  phenomenal  when  it 
is  taken  into  consideration  that  the  California  pan 
washer  was  well  pleased  with  a  uniform  product  of 
$3  to  a  washing,  and  could  make  money  with  a  yield 
running  as  low  as  50  cents.  With  this  kind  of  field 
to  work  in,  it  is  small  wonder  that  claim-holders 
gladly  pay  $15  a  day  for  common  labor,  and  are  un- 
able to  get  anything  like  a  fair  supply  at  that.  It  is 
only  men  who  are  "broke""  that  will  work  for  wages. 


s 


HOW  TO  FIX  A  KLONDYKE  CLAIM. 

The  same  general  rules  for  acquiring  a  title  to  a 
claim  in  the  western  states  apply  to  Alaska  and  the 
Canadian  northwest.  The  governments  make  no 
charge  for  the  land,  but  the  holder  is  required  to  do 
at  least  $100  worth  of  work  on  his  claim  every  year 
for  five  years  to  get  an  absolute  title  to  it.  He  has 
the  privilege  of  doing  the  entire  $500  worth  of  work 
at  once  if  he  chooses  to  do  so,  and  on  proof  of  it  may 
get  his  patent.  The  Canadian  government  exacts 
$5  a  year  from  prospectors  as  a  license  fee. 

The  man  who  locates  a  claim  is  allowed  a  full  year 
before  he  puts  up  his  location  notice  for  working  the 
first  assessment,  during  which  time  his  right  is  abso- 
lute and  is  also  negotiable.  A  purchaser  fulfilling  the 
obligation  entered  into  by  the  discoverer  enjoys  the 
same  rights. 

In  Alaska  and  in  the  Klondyke  the  first  miners 
in  a  district  hold  a  meeting  and  fix  the  size  of  the 
claims,  and  also  agree  as  to  how  much  work  shall 
constitute  an  assessment.  The  miners  also  elect  a 
register,  and  his  fee  for  recording  or  transferring  is 
the  only  one  incumbent  upon  the  owner  of  a  claim. 


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106     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKB  COUNTRY 


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About  the  only  tools  considered  absolutely  neces- 
sary in  the  placers  are  a  pick,  shovel  and  gold  pan. 
It  is  nearly  always  desirable,  but  not  always  possible, 
to  have  a  sluice.  This  sometimes  is  very  primitive. 
It  may  be  only  a  gully  bottomed  with  cobblestones, 
or  plank  troughing,  with  riffles  or  cleats  at  intervals 
across  the  bottom.  In  either  case,  the  gold-bearing 
dirt  or  gravel  is  thrown  in  while  water  is  running 
through  the  sluice.  The  current  is  supposed  to  carry 
away  the  worthless  rocks  and  dirt,  allowing  the  gold 
to  drop  to  the  bottom.  If  the  gold  is  in  finely  divided 
particles,  the  sluice  is  made  tight  and  quicksilver  is 
placed  above  the  riffles,  which  envelops  and  holds  the 
gold  dust.  No  two  mines  are  exactly  alike,  and  the 
manner  of  working  tliem  has  to  be  varied  to  suit  the 
circumstances.  .    '  •     •   ■ 

WHAT  CAPT.  HIGGINS  KNOWS. 

In  a  letter  to  a  friend  at  San  Diego,  Cal..  Capt. 
J.  F.  Higgins,  of  the  steamer  Excelsior,  thu>  writes 
of  Klondyke:  •  '  '  '' 

"The  word  Klondyke  means  Deer  river.  The  stream 
is  called  Reindeer  river  on  the  charts.  It  empties 
into  the  Yukon.  The  geographical  position  of  the 
junction  is  76  degrees  10  minutes  north  latitude,  138 
degrees  50  minutes  west  longitude.  Bonanza  creek 
dumps  into  Klondyke  about  two  miles  above  the 
Yukon.  Eldorado  is  a  tributary  of  the  Bonanza. 
There  are  numerous  other  creeks  and  tributaries,  the 
main  river  being  300  miles  long.  The  gold  so  far 
has  been  taken  from  Bonanza  and  Eldorado,  both 
well  named,  for  the  richness  of  the  placers  is  truly 
marvelous.  Eldorado,  thirty  miles  long,  is  staked 
the  whole  length,  and  as  far  as  worked  has  paid, 


■iWiV'';-,\  rWi  »]>•■; 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


107 


"As  each  claim  is  fifty  feet  along  the  creek  bed, 
there  is  half  a  million  to  the  claim.  So  uniform 
has  the  output  been  that  one  miner,  who  has  an  in- 
terest in  three  claims,  told  me  that  if  offered  his 
choice  he  would  toss  up  to  decide.  One  of  our  pas- 
sengers has  worked  lOO  feet  of  his  ground,  and  re- 
fused $200,000  for  the  remainder,  and  confidently  ex- 
pects to  clean  up  $400,000  and  more.  He  has  in  a 
bottle  $212  for  one  pan  of  dirt.  His  pay  dirt  while 
being  washed  averaged  $250  an  hour  to  each  man 
shoveling  in.  Two  Others  of  our  miners  who  worked 
their  own  claims  cleaned  up  $6,000  from  the  day's 
washing.  There  is  about  fifteen  feet  of  dirt  above 
bed  rock,  the  pay  streak  averaging  from  four  to  six 
feet,  which  is  tunneled  out  while  the  ground  is  frozen. 
Of  course,  the  ground  taken  out  is  thawed  by  build- 
ing fires,  and  when  the  thaw  comes  and  water  rushes 
in,  they  set  their  sluices  and  wash  the  dirt.  Two  of 
our  fellows  thought  a  small  bird  in  the. hand  worth 
a  large  one  in  the  bush  and  sold  their  claims  for 
$45,000,  getting  $4,500  down,  the  remainder  to  be 
paid  in  monthly  installments  of  $10,000  each.  The 
purchasers  had  no  more  than  the  $5,000  paid.  They 
were  twenty  days  thawing  and  getting  out  dirt.  Then 
there  was  no  water  to  sluice  with,  but  one  fellow 
made  a  rocker  and  in  ten  days  took  out  the  $10,000 
for  the  first  installment.  So,  tunneling  and  rocking, 
they  took  out  $40,000  before  there  was  water  to  sluice 
with. 

"Of  '\urse,  these  tlungs  read  like  the  story  of 
Aladdin,  but  fiction  is  not  at  all  in  it  with  facts  at 
Klondyke.  The  ground  located  and  prospected  can 
be  worked  out  in  a  few  years,  but  there  is  still  an 
immense  territory  untouched,  and  the  laboring  man 


:M 


f, 


:   *!  ■\"'- 


;  in 


hi  .1 


i' !    t 


"rffrnf'^ 


^«:'..,  :i 


'J 


:\'\ 


•|  )■ 


i  .   I 


108     OFFICIAL  OUIDB  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

who  can  get  there  with  oir^  year's  provisions  will  have 
a  better  chance  to  make  a  stake  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world."  ' 

FRED  PRICE'S  EXPERIENCE. 

Fred  Price,  a  Seattle  man,  who  has  returned  from 
the  Klondyke  with  several  thousand  dollars  in  gold 
dust,  says  that  there  is  great  fear  of  suflfering  on  the 
part  of  those  who  attempt  to  go  into  that  country 
without  an  abundance  of  supplies  of  provisions. 

He  does  not  believe  the  trading  companies  can  be- 
gin to  supply  the  demand  which  will  be  made  on 
them.  Price  thinks  the  men  who  take  up  horses  to 
cross  the  pass  from  Dyea  will  do  well.  They  can  get 
their  provisions  in  easy  that  way  and  sell  the  horses 
for  dog  meat  afterward.  He  also  advises  newcomers 
to  look  for  claims  on  other  creeks  besides  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Klondyke,  the  latter  being  pretty  well 
staked  out.  Stewart  river  creeks  promise  as  well  as 
the  Klondyke,  He  says  further  that  gambling  dens 
and  dance  halls  have  already  opened  in  Dawson. 
Games  of  every  description  are  running,  and  some 
of  the  miners  play  very  heavy.  They  go  into  the 
mining  town  in  sheer  desperation  at  the  loneliness 
and  gloom  of  winter  and  gamble  in  recklessly  to 
break  the  monotony.  Price  says  it  is  hard  to  get 
along  in  Dawson  City  on  less  than  $50  a  day,  and 
many  of  the  men  spend  ten  times  that  much.  He 
claims  that  one  saloon  cleaned  up  $30,000  in  three 
weeks  this  summer. 

AN  AUTHORITY  ON  THE  KLONDYKE. 

Joseph  Ladue,  who  owns  the  townsite  of  Dawson 
City,  Alaska,  and  struck  it  rich  on  the  Klondyke,  ar- 


ii  :[ 


■i 


iW-''.'" 


AND  THE  QOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


V» 


rived  lately  at  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y.  On  June  23  he 
left  Alaska,  arriving  in  San  Francisco  about  a  month 
later.  He  emphatically  denies  the  story  published  in 
a  New  York  morning  paper  that  the  object  of  his 
visit  here  was  to  marry  an  old  sweetheart.  His  visit 
was  to  see  those  who  had  befriended  him  when  he 
was  friendless. 

The  notoriety  which  the  papers  have  given  him  is 
not  pleasing  to  I-^due.  It  required  a  bushel  basket 
to  carry  the  mail  which  had  accumulated  here  for 
him  during  the  past  week.  The  letters  were  from  all 
parts  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Ladue  said  that  he  applied  for  a  townsite  pat- 
ent for  Dawson  City  in  1896.  It  is  located  on  the 
Yukon,  seventy-five  miles  from  the  Alaskan  frontier, 
and  is  consequently  on  Canadian  soil.  When  asked 
as  to  the  richness  of  the  Klondyke  country,  Mr.  La- 
due  said : 

*'l  have  not  seen  any  late  reports,  but  it  is  pretty 
hard  to  exaggerate  it.  Individuals  may  have  exag- 
gerated as  to  the  amounts  they  have  taken  out,  but 
as  to  the  wealth  of  the  country,  the  reports  are  gen- 
erally correct.  I  believe  the  largest  amount  taken 
out  by  one  person  was  $81,000,  brought  out  by  Frank 
Phiscator,  of  Washington.  About  $2,000,000  have 
come  out,  and  at  that  ratio  it  is  fair  to  assume  that 
fifteen  millions  will  be  produced  by  the  same  miners 
during  the  winter. 

*  The  extent  of  the  craze  and  quest  for  riches," 
continued  Mr.  Ladue,  "may  be  judged  from  the  fact 
that  gold  was  discovered  in  September  last,  and  that 
already  eight  hundred  claims  are  staked  within  a 
radius  of  twenty  miles  of  Dawson  City.  There  is 
no  jumping  of  claims.     Three  months'  work  each 


I 


Si  i; 


•   , 


':        t' 


irriT-- 


i 


I'  ! 


:  i 


I 


J.'  ! 


u 


'    ■■■^WflpSf:, 


■  ■■i.  '■  ■?'-Vr''''f«;5»?'f»'f'<,''V''' 


'    >' 


lie     OFFICIAL  aiTlDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

year  is  required  to  hold  a  claim.  Failing  in  this,  the 
land  reverts  to  the  government.  The  laws  of  Canada 
are  stringent  in  such  matters,  and  severe  penalties 
are  imposed  for  jumping  or  other  interference  with 
the  rights  of  claimants.  Each  claim  is  500  feet  along 
the  creek,  and  extending  to  the  foothills  on  either 
side.  >,;.^,    ,':  ;,;,^.    .    .♦. ,  ,     v.,      ^  ^,.   . 

Asked  if  he  was  correctly  quoted  in  advising  peo- 
ple not  to  go  in  until  spring,  Mr.  Ladue  said: 

"Yes.  It  is  too  late  to  go  in  now.  The  gold  fields 
are  located  1,700  miles  up  the  Yukon  river.  If  many 
people  go  in,  it  will  be  impossible  to  get  provisions 
there  in  sufficient  quantities.  Next  spring  will  be 
a  better  time  to  go  than  now.  Nothing  will  be  lost 
by  the  delay.  ■ 

"The  truth  of  the  richness  of  this  country  has  not 
been  half  told,  and  no  one  can  exaggerate  the  prob- 
able wealth  to  be  found  in  this  far-oflf  country." 

FRESH  CONFIRMATION. 

A  late  San  Francisco  letter  brings  the  following: 
More  treasure  was  received  from  the  Arctic  gold  fields 
by  the  steamer  Bertha  from  Unalaska,  but  it  came 
in  the  form  of  500  tons  of  gold  concentrates  from 
Unga  Island.  Valued  at  $40  a  ton,  it  is  worth  $20,- 
000. 

This  Unga  Island  mine  is  on  the  coast,  and  is  oper- 
ated  by  the  Apollo  Mining  Company.  The  quartz  is 
rich,  arid  is  handled  cheaply,  but  the  cost  of  erecting 
the  plant  was  heavy. 

The  steamer  brought  about  two  weeks  later  ad- 
vices from  Dawson  City.  Only  four  persons  came 
down  in  the  steamer,  and  none  of  them  was  from 
Klondyke.  - 


■;;  f  !    5-. 
Hi   i' 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


HI 


Unalaska  has  the  gold  fever,  as  badly  as  other 
places  along  the  Alaskan  shore.  Her  delegation  of 
Klondykers  started  toward  the  diggings  some  months 
ago,  leaving  the  town  deserted,  except  by  Indians, 
and  the  latter  would  not  get  excited  if  Muir  glacier 
were  grinding  out  $20  pieces  and  showering  them 
all  over  Alaska.  , 

The  Bertha  brings  advices  that  will  not  encourage 
the  miners.  Every  claim  within  miles  of  the  Klon- 
dyke  river  is  taken  up,  and  nearly  5,000  people  are 
at  the  new  diggings. 

Those  who  got  in  late  have  gone  further  to  the 
northeast  of  the  Klondyke  to  look  for  new  locations. 

The  Dawson  City  region  was  still  paying  at  latest 
accounts,  but  mining  parties  have  struck  out  north- 
east and  southwest,  the  latter  toward  American  terri- 
tory. 

ALONG  THE  CREEKS. 

Bear  creek  is  one  of  the  streams  that  enters  Klon- 
dyke, and  it  has  been  prospected  and  located  on. 
Compared  with  Bonanza,  it  is  small,  and  will  not 
afford  more  than  twenty  to  thirty  claims,  it  is  said. 
About  twelve  miles  above  the  mouth  Gold  Bottom 
creek  joins  Klondyke,  and  on  it  and  a  branch  named 
Hunker  creek,  after  the  discoverer,  very  rich  ground 
has  been  found.  One  man  showed  me  $2,275  he 
took  out  in  a  few  hours  on  Hunker  creek  with  a  gold 
pan,  prospecting  his  claim  on  the  surface,  taking  a 
handful  here  and  there  as  fancy  suggested.  On  Gold 
Bottom  Creek  and  branches  there  will  probably  be 
two  or  three  hundred  claims.  The  Indians  have  re- 
ported another  creek  much  farther  up,  which  they 
call  "Too-Much-Gold  creek,"  on  which  the  gold  is  so 
plentiful  that,  as  the  miners  say  in  joke,  "you  have 


;  f 


i::l\\H 


4 


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rii 


112     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYK4    CJOUNTRT 

to  mix  gravel  with  it  to  sluice  it."    Up  to  date  noth- 
iig  definite  has  been  heard  from  this  creek. 

From  all  this  we  may,  I  think,  infer  that  we  have 
here  a  district  which  will  give  i,ooo  claims  of  500 
feet  in  length  each.  Now,  1,000  such  claims  will  re- 
quire at  least  3,000  men  to  work  them  properly,  and 
as  wages  for  working  in  the  mines  are  from  $8  to 
$10  per  day  without  board,  we  have  every  reason  to 
assume  that  this  part  of  our  territory  will  in  a  year 
or  two  contain  10,000  souls  at  least;  for  the  news 
has  gone  out  to  the  coast,  and  an  unprecedented  in- 
flux is  expected  next  spring.  And  this  is  not  all,  for 
a  large  creek  called  Indian  creek  joins  the  Yukon 
about  midway  between  Klondyke  and  Stewart  rivers, 
and  all  along  this  creek  good  pay  has  been  found. 
All  that  has  stood  in  the  way  of  working  it  hereto- 
fore has  been  the  scarcity  of  provisions  and  the 
difficulty  of  getting  them  up  there  even  when  here. 
Indian  Creek  is  quite  a  large  stream,  and  it  is  prob- 
able it  will  yield  five  or  six  hundred  claims.  Farther 
south  yet  lies  the  head  of  several  branches  of  Stew- 
art river,  on  which  some  prospecting  has  b^n 
done  this  summer,  and  good  indications  found,  but 
the  want  of  provisions  prevented  development.  Now 
gold  has  been  found  in  several  of  the  streams  joining 
Pelly  river,  and  also  all  along  the  Hootalinqua.  In 
the  line  of  these  finds  farther  south  is  the  Cassair  gold 
field,  in  British  Columbia,  so  the  presumption  is  that 
we  have  in  our  territory  along  the  easterly  v/ater 
shed  of  the  Yukon  a  gold-bearing  belt  of  indefinite 
width,  and  upwards  of  300  miles  long,  exclusive  of 
the  British  Columbia  part  of  it.  On  the  westerly  side 
of  the  Yukon  prospecting  has  been  done  on  a  creek 
a  short  distance  above  Selkirk,  with  a  fair  amount 


,,lV^v, 


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-«uin<fMlk    wv    vt,4Mi^t   Aa»4\n^--  At    M'Vv*  . 


»•«>  •*  -id  »M»«- 


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a 

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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  AU^BKA. 


m 


of  success,  and  on  a  large  creek  some  thirty  or  forty 
miles  below  Selkirk  fair  prospects  have  been  found, 
but,  as  before  remarked,  the  difficulty  of  getting  sup- 
plies here  prevents  any  extensive  or  extended  pros- 
pecting. / 

WHAT  MR.  OGILVIE  HEARD.    .  ' 

Dalton  informed  me,  says  Inspector  Ogilvie,  he 
had  fotmd  good  prospects  on  a  small  creek  nearly 
midway  between  the  coast  range  and  Selkirk  in  his 
route.  His  man  showed  me  some  coarse  gold,  about 
a  dollar's  worth,  he  found  on  the  head  of  a  branch 
of  the  Altsek  river,  near  the  head  of  Chilcat  inlet, 
which  is  inside  the  summit  of  the  coast  range,  and  of 
course  in  the  Dominion.  Fn)m  this  you  will  gather 
that  we  have  a  very  large  area  all  more  or  less  gold- 
bearing,  and  which  will  all  yet  be  worked. 

Good  quartz  has  been  found  in  places  just  across 
the  line  on  Davis  ceek,  but  of  what  ertent  is  un- 
known, as  it  is  in  the  bed  of  the  creek  and  covered 
with  gravel.  Good  quartz  is  also  reported  on  the 
hills  JxiOund  Bonanza  creek,  but  of  this  I  will  be  able 
to  speak  more  fully  after  my  proposed  survey.  It  is 
pretty  certain  from  information  I  have  got  from 
prospectors  that  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  the  northerly 
branch  of  White  river  is  on  our  side  of  the  line,  and 
copper  is  found  on  it,  .but  more  abundantly  on  the 
southerly  branch,  of  which  a  great  portion  is  in 
our  territory,  also,  so  it  is  probable  we  have  that 
metal,  too.  1  have  seen  heie  several  lump'^  of  native 
copper  brought  by  the  natives  from  "Wiiite  river," 
but  just  from  what  part  is  uncertain.  I  have  also 
seen  a  specimen  of  silver  ore  said  to  have  been  picked 
up  in  a  creek  flowing  into  Bennet  Lake,  about  four- 
teen miles  down,  on  the  east  side.     I  think  this  is 


!      ! 


t  : 


!  1 


;   :  ■ 


-     IP    [T      •( 


U8     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 


V.  f 


!    t 


f       ( 


enough  to  show  that  we  may  look  forward  with  con* 
fidence  to  a  fairly  bright  future  for  this  part  of  our 
territory.  -V         ^    v^  .  r: 

When  it  was  fairly  established  that  Bonanza  creek 
was  rich  in  gold,  which  took  a  few  days,  for  Klon^ 
dyke  had  been  prospected  several  times  with  no  en> 
couraging  result,  there  was  a  great  rush  from  all 
over  the  country  adjacent  to  Forty  Mile.  The  town 
was  almost  deserted;  men  who  had  been  in  a  chronic 
state  of  drunkenness  for  weeks  were  pitched  into 
boats  as  ballast  and  taken  up  to  stake  themselves  a 
claim,  and  claims  were  staked  by  men  for  their 
friends  who  were  not  in  the  country  at  the  time.  All 
this  gave  rise  to  such  conflict  and  confusion,  there 
being  no  one  present  to  take  charge  of  matters,  the 
agent  being  unable  to  go  up  and  attend  to  the  thing, 
and  myself  not  yet  knowing  what  to  do,  that  the 
miners  held  a  meeting  and  appointed  one  of  them- 
selves to  measure  off  and  stake  the  claims  and  record 
the  owners'  names  in  connection  therewith,  for  which 
he  got  a  fee  of  $2,  it  being,  of  course,  understood 
that  each  claim  holder  would  have  to  record  his  claim 
with  the  Dominion  agent  and  pay  his  fee  of  $15. 

GOLD  STORAGE. 

Warren  Shea,  of  Washington  state,  a  reputable  and 
reliable  man,  writes  from  Klondyke  to  his  brother, 
S.  Shea,  of  New  Whatcom,  and  say*;  the  next  boat 
to  leave  the  gold  field  will  bring  out  dust  and  nug- 
gets in  barrels.  Two  days  after  the  boat  that  brought 
out  the  miners,  who  arrived  on  Puget  Sound  aboard 
the  steamer  Portland,  left  Dawson  City,  one  of  the 
largest  stores  at  that  place  was  closed  and  the  build- 
ing was  turned  into  a  gold  packing  warehouse.    So 


II. 


1 


AND  THE  OOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA, 

great  a  quantity  of  gold  was  offered  for  shipment  that 
it  was  decided  to  pack  it  in  barrels  holding  about 
twenty-two  gallons.  The  barrels  have  heretofore  been 
used  for  packing  salt  fish.  ■ 

,     HE  GIVES  A  POINTER. 

Burt  Shuler,  writing  from  Klondyke  under  date  of 
June  5,  says:  "We  have  been  here  but  a  short  time 
and  we  all  have  money.  Provisions  are  much  higher 
than  they  were  two  years  ago,  and  clothing  is  clean 
out  of  sight.  One  of  the  A.  C.  Co.'s  boats  was  lost 
in  the  spring,  and  there  will  be  a  shortage  of  provis- 
ions again  this  fall.  There  is  nothing  that  a  man 
could  eat  or  wear  that  he  cannot  get  a  good  price 
for.  First-class  rubber  boots  are  worth  from  an 
ounce  to  $25  a  pair.  The  price  of  fioui'  has  been 
raised  from  $4  to  $6,  and  it  was  selling  at  $50  when 
we  arrived,  as  it  was  being  freighted  from  I-'orty- 
Mile.  Big  money  c?.n  be  made  by  bringing  a  sniall 
outfit  over  the  trail  this  fall.  Wages  have  1  -'en  $15 
per  day  all  winter,  though  a  reduction  to  $10  \\'as 
attempted,  but  the  miners  quit  work.  Here  is  a  creek 
that  is  eighteen  miles  long,  and,  as  far  as  is  known, 
without  a  miss.  There  is  not  enough  men  in  the 
country  today  to  w(»rk  the  claims.  Several  other 
creeks  show  equal  promise,  but  very  little  work  has 
been  done  on  the  latter.  I  have  seen  gold  dust  until 
it  seems  almost  as  cheap  as  sawdust.  If  you  are  com- 
ing in,  come  pref)ared  to  stay  two  years  at  least. 
Bring  plenty  of  clothing  and  good  rubber  boots. 


l,-\ 


I J 


r 


TWO  FRENCH  MINERS. 

Henry  Dore  and  J.  E.  Boucher  both  tell  talcs  of 
the  hardc  st  kind  of  experiences.    Thirty  days  on  flour 


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118     OFFICIAL  OUIDB  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

and  water  and  $30  taken  from  the  ground  in  eight 
months  is  but  a  portion  of  Dore's  experience.  Of 
all  those  who  have  returned,  his  tale  is  one  that 
ought  to  make  those  without  experience  think  twice 
before  plunging  into  unknown  dangers.  Mr.  Boucher 
left  his  home  in  Wisconsin  three  years  ago,  went  in 
by  Juneau  and  the  Chilkoot  to  Forty  Mile,  and  had  the 
usual  run  of  poor  luck.  He  went  to  work  for  $12.50 
a  day,  but  soon  gave  out,  and  he  then  went  prospect- 
ing.    He  says : 

"I  had  no  better  success  at  this  than  at  work,  and 
was  pretty  well  disgusted,  when  I  heard  of  a  strike 
at  Klondyke.  i  struck  a  good  claim  and  cleaned  up 
about  $10,000.  I  am  going  back  home  to  enjoy 
myself  till  next  spring,  when  I  will  go  back  again  if  I 
do  not  sell  out  in  the  meantime." 

WHAT  A  MISSOURI  MINER  TELLS. 

Mr.  B.  F.  Purcell,  the  first  Missourian  to  return 
from  the  Klondyke,  has  summed  up  his  impressions 
of  the  new  El  Dorado  in  the  Nortnwest  Territory. 
And  Mr.  Purcell  ought  to  know,  for  he  had  a  15- 
months'  stay  in  the  Yukon  and  Klondyke  district, 
and  earned  in  it  the  third  fortune  he  has  made  in 
mining.  A  successful  miner  in  both  California  and 
Montana,  Mr.  Purcell  declares  the  new  gold  field  is 
the  most  v  onderful  country  he  ever  saw,  and  that  the 
half  of  Its  riches  is  not  even  imagined. 

"The  popular  idea  cA  the  Klondyke  field  is  most 
erroneous,"  said  Mr.  Purcell.  "In  the  first  place,  there 
are  no  mines  on  the  Klondyke  river.  Even  if  its  bed 
and  banks  were  made  of  pay  dirt,  they  could  not  be 
worked.  There  is  too  much  »vater  in  the  stream,  and 
the  current  is  too  rapid.  We  never  refer  to  the 
region  as  the  Klondyke  field.     ;;,,.,;.; 


AND  TRfi  GOLD  FIBLDS  OF  ALASKA. 


"All  the  mines,  with  the  exception  of  one,  are  lo- 
cated from  five  to  ten  miles  from  the  Klondyke  river, 
on  tributary  streams.  Some  of  these  streams,  which 
are  only  creeks,  are  the  El  Dorado,  the  Bonanza, 
Skucum,  Bear  creek.  Hunker,  Gold  Bottom,  and  Do- 
minion. We  speak  of  the  field  according  to  its  loca- 
tion, as  the  Bonanza  creek  district,  and  so  forth.  The 
only  claim  on  the  Klondyke  river  is  at  the  mouth  of 
Bear  creek. 

"The  Bonanza  creek  district  is  the  richest  of  all. 


'■mi 


1 


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A  MILD  WINTER  IN  ALASKA. 

"Last  winter,"  said  Mr.  Purcell,  "was  a  mild  one, 
yet  the  spirit  thermometer  (mercury  freezes  in  the 
bulb  up  there)  registered  as  low  as  62  degrees  below 
zero.  Most  of  the  time  it  was  from  20  to  40  degrees 
below,  and  that  we  considered  pretty  good  working 
weather. 

"Of  course,  the  men  don't  work  all  day  in  that 
temperature,  but  when  properly  attired  they  can  ac- 
complish considerable  in  the  course  of  a  week. 

"For  outdoor  work  we  put  on  as  many  pairs  of 
socks  as  we  could,  then  slipped  on  wool  boots,  and 
tied  the  whole  up  in  hay.  Over  our  heads  and  shoul- 
ders we  wore  what  is  called  a  'parquet.*  It  is  a 
nondescript  sort  of  garment,  which  tightens  with 
strings  like  a  woman's  skirt,  and  covers  all  the  face 
but  the  eyes,  nose  and  mouth. 

"I  generally  moistened  a  piece  of  rabbit  skin  and 
stuck  it  on  my  nose.  This  kept  that  member  from 
freezing. 

"Very  few  people  up  there  wear  beards  or  mus- 
taches. When  it  is  40  degrees  below  zero  one's 
breath  freezes  and  the  hair  on  one's  face  becomes  % 


if 


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mass  of  ice  that  is  decidedly  uncomfortable  to  carry 
around. 

"But  the  winters  are  not  the  only  climatic  draw- 
back. In  summers  we  were  beset  by  flies  and  mos- 
quitoes. The  torture  inflicted  by  these  pests  is  some- 
thing no  one  can  do  justice  to  in  a  descriptive  way.  I 
have  seen  strong  men  lie  down  and  cry  like  babies 
as  a  result  of  the  bites.  There  is  seldom  a  breath  of 
air,  and  the  heat  is  so  intense  that  to  wear  a  cheese- 
cloth protection  for  the  head  is  unbearable.  Last 
summer  scurvy  became  epidemic,  and  that  added  to 
the  troubles  of  the  camps. 

"When  I  left  Dawson  City  there  was  no  such  thing 
as  a  boarding-house.  Every  man  was  his  own  cook, 
and  every  man  had  to  provide  his  own  shelter  or 
else  go  without  it.  We  generally  got  as  much  to 
eat  as  we  wanted,  but  the  kind  was  not  always  palat- 
able. And  in  this  connection  I  don't  mind  saying 
that  I  am  glad  to  get  back  to  old  Missouri  and  get 
three  square  meals  a  day  of  home  cooking.  I've  had 
enough  beans  and  bacon  and  canned  goods  to  last 
me  until  next  spring,  when  I  shall  go  back  again." 

ON  THE  COST  OF  LIVING. 

"The  cost  of  living  is  proportionate  to  the  oppor- 
tunities for  making  money.  Flour  sells  for  $24  a 
barrel;  salt  pork,  bacon,  hams,  and  shoulders  bring 
40  cents  a  pound;  evaporated  potatoes,  40  cents  a 
pound,  and  the  raw  tubers  65  cents  a  pound;  con- 
densed milk,  the  only  kind  we  got,  was  50  cents  a 
can;  rice  and  tapioca,  30  cents  a  pound;  canned  mut- 
ton, 75  cents  a  can;  and  evaporated  Caliiox^iia  fruits 
35  cents  a  pound.  ;  f 

"Saloons  do  a  good  business  at  50  cents  a  drink  or 


it 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


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a  cigar.  Liquor  is  between  $25  and  $30  a  gallon, 
and  lime  juice,  which  is  taken  for  the  scurvy,  is  $2.50 
a  gallon."  ''"'^ ''■:',:■' "  ;-■'  *  '.V'""    ■  ■■■■^-  '"  -  ';■•  ^  ^^d  ''■  •■"  «."■;■•;' , 

Mr.  Purcell  says  there  is  great  danger  of  a  famine 
in  the  Klondyke  region  this  winter.  "When  I  first 
went  there,"  he  said,  "there  were  not  over  600  people 
there.  When  I  left  last  June,  there  were  3,000,  and 
each  steamer  was  bringing  accessions.  I  see  that 
the  rush  is  still  on,  and  unless  a  great  many  people 
return  before  the  freeze-up,  which  comes  in  Septem- 
ber, there  will  be  much  suffering  this  winter.  The 
reason  for  this  is  that  the  Alaska  Commercial  Com- 
pany and  the  North  American  Trading  Company, 
which  furnish  the  supplies,  are  unable  to  transport 
enough  provisions  to  supply  the  people  in  the  field. 

"All  through  the  summer  the  stocks  were  low — so 
low  that  when  a  boat  landed  the  stock  was  sold  as 
fast  as  it  was  unloaded,  and  never  got  into  the  big 
warehouses.  If  that  was  the  situation  when  boats 
were  arriving  regularly,  what  can  be  the  result  four 
or  five  or  six  months  after  the  freeze-up?  Much  of 
the  room  in  the  boats  that  should  have  been  filled 
with  provisions  was  stocked  with  whisky  and  heavy 
furniture,  stoves,  etc. 


I  % 


■  ] 


KEPT  TAB  ON  THE  BUYERS. 

"All  during  the  summer  the  trading  companies  kept 
tab  on  the  buyers,  and  measured  out  the  stock  some- 
thing like  rations  are  distributed  in  the  army.  One 
mat;  could  not  buy  a  full  outfit  for  any  sum,  the  idea 
being  to  give  to  each  his  proportion  of  what  there  was 
to  eat. 

"The  miners  are  a  sociable,  brotherly  lot.  When 
one  runs  out  of  any  particular  thing,  he  goes  to  his 


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If  i' 


Its     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKB  COUNTRY 

neighbor,  and  is  never  refused  half  the  latter  has. 
This  transfer  is  not  in  the  nature  of  a  pecuniary 
transaction,  as  this  borrowing  is  constantly  going  on 
on  all  sides. 

"With  this  disposition  among  the  residents,  there 
is  no  danger  of  anyone  starving  to  death  as  long  as 
there  is  anything  to  eat  to  be  divided;  but  I  am  afraid 
there  will  be  serious  trouble  before  spring. 

"Most  of  the  miners  know  the  situation,  and  are 
aware  that  a  famine  is  imminent,  but  they  want  to 
stay  on  the  ground,  and  seem  determined  to  take 
chances  of  coming  out  over  the  ice  with  dog  teams 
if  worst  comes  to  worst." 


! 

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THE  KLONDYKE  CAPITAL. 

Dawson  City,  the  center  of  the  new  mining  region, 
although  sixty-five  miles  distant  from  the  Klondyke, 
is  said  to  be  a  typical  mining  camp — minus  the  guns. 
The  British  government  enforces  its  laws  in  Dawson, 
and  those  laws  prohibit  the  use  of  firearms,  so  few 
men  carry  guns.  The  laws  of  the  camp  are  enforced 
by  mounted  police,  whose  captain  is  a  civil  officer. 
Though  there  are  said  to  be  3,000  people  in  Daw- 
son, few  houses  have  been  built,  for  the  principal 
reason  that  lumber  is  $100  per  1,000  feet.  The  gen- 
eral fear  is,  of  course,  that  there  will  be  great  suffer- 
ing there  this  winter,  and  it  will  be  increased,  it  is 
expected,  by  the  rush  of  unprepared  prospectors  who 
sailed  for  the  new  fields  immediately  on  learning  what 
luck  had  befallen  those  who  have  but  recently  re- 
turned. .     .  .>..-.  -v.  ^, 

TREAT  THINGS  ABOUT  DAWSON  CITY. 
'  atTJ  afraid,"  said  one  of  the  influential  miners 


^:."l^X'r'^»T-*!•^.l^^«^  *!'.:«, '■VjiSr..f|i'    P,';' 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


who  returned  on  a  San  Francisco  boat,  "that  all  the 
talk  and  excitement  will  cause  such  a  stampede  to 
the  northwest  that  there  will  be  great  suffering  dur- 
ing next  winter  and  spring.  Still,  if  people*  are  only 
ordinarily  careful,  there  is  no  occasion  for  any  such 
thing.  There  are  many  good  things  that  can  be  said 
about  Dawson  City  besides  the  gold  t'^^t  has  made 
it  famous.  In  my  own  way  I  want  to  tell  the  people 
of  some  of  these  good  qualities,  as  well  as  the  busi- 
ness and  social  conditions,  and  how  matters  are  con- 
ducted there. 

"Speculation  is  already  the  ruling  idea.  A  pur- 
chaser inspects  a  claim  that  he  thinks  he  would  like 
to  buy.  He  offers  just  what  he  thinks  it  is  worth. 
There  is  no  skirmishing  over  figures ;  the  owner  either 
accepts  or  refuses,  and  that  is  the  end  of  it.  With 
this  claim  goes  the  season's  work.  By  that  I  mean 
the  great  pile  of  earth  that  may  contain  thousands 
or  may  not  be  worth  the  expense  necessary  to  run 
it  through  the  sluice.  That  is  a  chance  one  must  take, 
however,  and  few  have  lost  anything  by  it  this  sea- 
son. 

"I  do  not  know  in  the  whole  Klondyke  region  a 
single  claim  that  has  not  paid  handsomely,  and  there 
are  still  hundreds  of  claims  that  have  not  been 
worked.  In  testing  a  claim,  the  prospector  sinks  a 
hole,  say  fifteen  feet,  and  then  tries  a  pan  of  dirt.  If 
the  pay  streak,  has  been  reached,  he  sets  to  work  in 
earnes^to  gather  in  more  of  the  precious  metal.  This 
process  consists  of  building  a  fire  around  the  entire 
circle,  allowmg  it  to  burn  through  the  night.  The 
next  morning  there  is  enough  loose  dirt  lying  about 
to  keep  a  squad  of  men  busy  throughout  the  day.  I 
have  known  men  to  hoist  in  a  day  as  many  as  250 


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IX     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKB  COUNTRY 

buckets  of  soil,  each  weigh'ing  250  pounds.  This  dirt 
is  not  disturbed  until  spring,  when  it  is  washed  out, 
and  when  a  man  buys  a  claim  he  buys  the  dump  also, 
but  he  takes  his  own  chances  on  the  latter. 

'  .       IT  IS  A  MORAL  TOWN. 

'It  may  be  said  with  absolute  truth  that  Dawson 
City  is  one  of  the  most  moral  towns  of  its  kind  in 
the  world.  There  is  little  or  no  quarreling,  and  no 
brawls  of  any  kind,  though  there  is  considerable 
drinking  and  gambling.  Every  man  carries  a  pistol 
if  he  wishes  to,  yet  few  do,  and  it  is  a  rare  occurrence 
when  one  is  displayed. 

"The  principal  sport  with  the  mining  men  is  found 
around  the  gambling  table.  There  they  gather  after 
nightfall  and  play  until  late  hours  in  the  morning. 
They  have  some  big  games,  too,  it  sometimes  costing 
as  much  as  $50  to  draw  a  card.  A  game  of  $2,000  as 
the  stakes  is  an  ordinary  event.  But  with  all  that, 
there  has  not  been  any  decided  trou!)le.  If  a  man  is 
fussy  and  quarrelsome,  he  is  quietly  told  to  get  out 
of  the  game,  and  that  is  the  end  of  it. 

"Many  people  have  an  idea  that  Dawson  City  is 
completely  iskolated,  and  can  communicate  with  the 
outside  world  only  once  every  twelve  months.  That 
is  a  mistake.  Circle  City,  only  a  few  miles  away, 
has  a  mail  once  each  month,  and  there  we  have  our 
mail  addressed.  It  is  true,  the  cost  is  pretty  high — 
a  dollar  a  letter  and  $2  for  paper — yet  by  that  ex- 
penditure of  money  we  are  able  to  keep  in  direct  com- 
munication with  our  friends  on  the  outside.  In  the 
way  of  public  institutions,  our  camp  is  at  present 
without  any,  but  by  the  next  season  we  will  have  a 
church,  a  music  hall,  schoolhouse  and  hospital.    This 


,;J» 


'^ 


■1 


AND  THE  OOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


in 


last  institution  will  be  under  the  direct  control  of 
the  Sisters  of  Mercy,  who  have  already  been  sta- 
tioned for  a  long  time  at  Circle  City  and  Forty  Mile. 
Camp. 

MINES  NOT  AT  DAWSON. 

"The  impression  seems  to  prevail  that  the  mines 
are  close  to  Dawson  City.  That  is  a  mistake.  The 
rich  creeks  are  fifteen  miles  off,  and  it  is  a  day's  jour- 
ney to  them.  The  camp  there  is  as  pretty  a  place  as 
one  desires  to  see.  The  white  tents  and  huts  of  the 
miners  are  scattered  along  the  banks  of  the  creeks  or 
built  on  the  moinitain  sides,  as  convenience  or  fancy 
dictated. 

"I  know  of  no  place  in  the  whole  northwest,  or  in 
the  world,  for  that  matter,  where  a  man  with  a  little 
capital  can  do  so  well.  There  is  an  opening  for  every 
kind  of  business,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  next  sea- 
son will  see  the  town  flooded  with  men  of  all  call- 
ings." • 
;,                 GOLD  BY  THE  GALLON. 

One  of  the  most  important  letters  that  have  come 
from  the  Klondyke  gold  fields  reached  Seattle  on  a 
recent  day.  It  is  dated  Dawson  City,  June  14,  and 
is  signed  by  Benjamin  R.  Shaw,  representative  of 
several  big  insurance  companies,  and  is  addressed  to 
a  prominent  Seattle  merchant.  In  it  he  says:  "There 
has  been  $2,000,000  worth  of  dust  taken  out  so  far 
in  the  district.  At  a  low  estimate  there  will  be  $50,- 
000,000  taken  out  during  the  next  year. 

"I  started  in  on  the  trip  with  pretty  hard  luck,  for 
I  lost  all  of  my  outfit  in  the  wreck  of  the  steamer 
Willapa  except  my  sled  and  a  few  tools.  I  got  a  new 
outfit  at  Juneau  and  reached  Dawson  City  June  10. 
As  I  lett  Seattle  March  15,  I  was  nearly  three  months 


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on  the  road.  I  rather  enjoyed  the  trip.  There  was 
some  hard  work,  but  I  had  no  mishaps  after  leaving 
Dyea. 

NO  NIGHT  IN  KLONDYKE. 

"There  is  no  night  here  now.  It  is  Hght  as  mid- 
day the  twenty-four  hours,  and  neither  too  warm  nor 
too  cold.  This  is  a  great  mining  strike,  probably  the 
greatest  on  the  American  continent  or  in  the  world. 
I  know  you  will  not  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  all 
about  it.  Gold  has  not  been  found  in  great  paying 
quantities  except  on  two  creeks.  Some  of  the  pay 
streaks  are  nearly  all  gold.  One  thousand  dollars 
to  the  pan  is  not  an  uncommon  thing,  and  as  high  as 
lOO  ounces  have  been  taken  out  at  a  single  pan.  It 
is  not  unconmion  to  see  men  coming  in  with  all  the 
gold  dust  they  can  carry. 

"You  would  not  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that  I 
went  into  one  cabin  and  counted  five  five-gallon  oil 
cans  full  of  gold  dust,  but  it  is  a  fact.  It  is  the  result 
of  the  work  of  two  men  during  the  winter,  and  the 
dust  is  not  much  more  than  half  worked  out. 

"I  went  to  work  as  soon  as  I  got  here  for  $io  a 
day,  because  all  the  rich  claims  were  taken.  I  hope 
to  get  located  on  a  paying  claim  myself.  Some  of 
the  saloons  take  in  from  $2,000  to  $3,000  a  day.  All 
pay  is  in  gold  dust  and  nothing  less  than  50  cents. 
A  glass  of  beer  costs  50  cents,  and  I  don't  drink 
many.  There  is.'  plenty  of  provisions  here.  Flour  is 
$12  a  hundred  pounds,  and  other  provisions  arc  ac- 
cordingly high.  Charles  Kimball,  of  Seatl!-.  is  tak- 
ing in  from  $300  to  $500  a  day.     There  are  about 

1,000  people  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  town.  Most 
of  them  live  in  tents,  but  some  good  buildings  are 
being  put  up." 


1    V: 

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lutcly  necessary  for  a  i)rospccting  tour: 

Fur-lined  sleeping-  bag,  rubber  iiip  boots,  extra 
heavy  wool  underclothing,  preferably  lined  with  nat- 
mal  wool;  fur-lined  gloves,  mackintosh,  cap  which 
will  pull  down  over  the  face,  two  pairs  of  extra  heavy 
blankets,  rubber  blanket,  dark  goggles. 

Outer  clothing  should  of  course  be  as  heavy  as  can 
be  obtained.  The  above-named  articles  can  best  be 
obtained  before  leaving.  The  goggles  are  very  neces- 
sary to  prevent  blindness  from  the  intense  glare  of  the 
snow,  especially  in  the  spring. 

Tools  needed  for  prospecting  are: 

Miner's  t  un,  light  pick,  half-spring,  long-handled 
shovel,  four-pound  ax,  i6-inch  machete. 

The  last-named  is  of  great  utility  in  cutting  through 
underbrush  and  for  a  thousand  and  one  other  pur- 
poses. All  of  these  can  be  obtained  at  a  good  price  in 
Alaska,  or  they  can  be  carried  as  baggage.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  cooking  utensils.  The  provisions  can 
best  be  bought  after  arriving  in  Alaska. 

Cooking  utensils  needed  are:  Coffee  pot,  small 
kettle,  frying  pan,  two  tin  plates,  two  tin  cups,  knife 
and  fork,  and  two  spoons. 

Any  man  can  live  quite  well  for  some  time  if  he  is 

provided  with  the  following  portable  articles  of  food: 

Flour,  bacon,  beans,  coffee,  baking  powder,  salt  and 

pepper. 

MR.  BOWKER  MET  A  MAN. 

F.  G.  H.  Bowker,  one  of  the  returned  Yukoners, 
who  brings  back  nearly  $40,000  in  gold  dust,  the  re- 


*   ,1 


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OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 


Stilt  of  six  months'  work,  is  authority/  for  the  statement 
that  on  the  American  side  of  the  international  bound- 
ary placer  fields  have  been  found  which  even  put  those 
of  the  Klondyke  mto  the  shade. 

When  his  party  was  descending  the  Yukon  on  the 
return  from  Dawson  City  the  steamship  was  inter- 
cepted by  a  man  who  desired  to  send  letters  and  pa- 
pers back  to  civilization.  This  man  was  one  of  a  party 
who  had  gone  down  the  river  from  Dawson  in  the 
hope  of  locating  rich  beds  of  which  Indians  in  the 
vicinity  had  been  teliing.  The  members  of  the  party 
were  well  known  to  the  Yukoners  and  full  credence 
is  given  to  the  story. 

Bowker  and  his  associates  were  told  tliat  just  across 
the  Alaska  boundary,  on  the  American  side,  the  party 
had  -'ound  placer  fields  fabulously  rich  in  gold.  They 
'•ad  staked  out  claims  and  begun  to  work  them. 

"Every  one  of  us  has  taken  out  thousands  of  dollars 
in  dust  and  nuggets  already,''  said  Bowker's  iniorm- 
ant,  "and  there  seems  no  limit  to  the  gold  in  sight. 
It  is  more  abundant  vhan  on  the  Klondyke  and  easier 
to  work,  the  f/old  being  very  near  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  We  are  all  rich  already,  but  we  are  going  to 
stay  througli  next  winter." 

Further  information  was  conveyed  that  there  were 
onlv  white  men  in  the  new  district,  ?.nd  they  had  the 
field  practically  to  themselves.  They  advised  Bowker 
and  his  companions  to  forsake  Klondyke  claims  on 
their  return  from  the  States  and  take  claims  in  the  new 
diggings.  '^ 

The  point  at  which  the  fortunate  treasure  hunters 
are  working  is  northwest  of  Dawson  and  but  a  few 
miles  west  of  the  boundary.  Their  claims  are  in  a 
valley  of  one  of  the  numerous  creeks  emptying  into 
the  Yukon. 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


131 


JEALOUS  CALIFORNIA. 

Clarence  Berry,  recently  from  the  Klondyke,  has  at  his 
hotel  in  San  Francisco  a  goodly  pile  of  golden  nug- 
gets, among  them  one  weighing  thirteen  ounces,  which 
is  the  second  largest  ever  found  near  the  Yukon.  Thir- 
teen-ounce  nuggets  are,  of  course,  not  to  be  sneezed 
at,  but,  compared  with  iIk  product  of  the  California 
gold  regions,  they  are  in  size  about  as  potatoes  to  wa- 
termelons. 

One  of  the  finest  of  the  California  nuggets  was  that 
found  by  Oliver  Martin.  It  weighed  151  pounds  and 
six  ounces.  The  discovery  of  this  rich  mass  was  purely 
accidental.  Martin  and  a  companion  named  Flower 
were  camped  in  a  canon  when  a  terrible  rainstorm 
came  on,  quickly  swelling  the  stream.  The  miners 
attempted  to  climb  the  hill,  but  the  flood  overtook 
them  and  both  were  carried  down  with  the  rush  of 
waters.  Flower  was  drowned,  but  Martin,  though  se- 
verely injured,  escaped. 

While  trying  to  bury  his  companion's  body  by  the 
roots  of  an  upturned  tree  Martin  discover(?j  the  great 
lump  of  gold  and  quartz.  He  was  too  weak  to  move 
it,  so  he  attempted  to  reach  some  neighboring  miners, 
but  fainted  from  exhaustion  on  the  way.  The  miners 
came  across  him,  however,  and  some  weeks  later  he 
was  able  to  lead  them  to  he  spot  and  the  nugget  was 
removed.     It  was  found  to  be  worth  $20,000. 


n 


NUGGET  WORTH  $16,000. 

The  biggest  nugget  of  p^old  ever  foimd  in  Shasta 
county  was  discovere('  by  three  Frenchmen  in  1870. 
They  were  lookinr  Tor  a  good  place  to  mine,  and,  hav- 
ing some  business  with  Mr.  Coleman,  a  liardwarc  deal- 
er, asked  him  where  they  had  better  start  in.     He  care- 


1^:  * 


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132     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

lessly  pointed  in  a  northerly  direction  and  zzid.  "Go 
over  to  Spring  Creek."  ^'hc_y  took  his  advice,  and  a 
few  days  a^tci  tht-y  had  located  there  one  of  the  party 
came  across  a  nugget  worth  $i6,ooo. 

In  Sierra  county  the  year  previous,  the  five  partners 
in  the  Monumental  claim  discovered  a  nugget  which 
weighed  1,593  ounces.  They  sold  it  for  $21,637  to  a 
San  Francisco  man,  who  used  it  for  exhibition  purposes. 
When  he  had  finished  showing  it  he  had  it  melted, 
realizing  from  it  $17,655.  A  still  more  valuable  nug- 
get was  found  in  1850  in  the  same  county.  It  was  val- 
ued at  $23,000. 

Plumas county,though  one  of  the  richest  mining  dis- 
tricts in  California,  yielded  only  a  few  very  valuable 
nuggets.  In  1861  a  Chinaman  discovered  one  worth 
$9,600,  and  a  miner  another  which  brought  him  $4,- 
906. 

In  El  Dorado  county  a  poor  Frenchman  found  a 
nugget  valued  at  $5,000.  The  sight  of  so  much  gold 
drove  him  insane.  The  m.oney  was  sent  to  his  family 
in  France. 

It  is  said  that  the  largest  nugget  ever  found  in  Cali- 
fornia was  discovered  at  Carson  Hill,  Calaveras  coun- 
ty, in  1854.  It  weighed  1 18  pounds.  Another  of  re- 
spectable size,  weighing  149  pounds,  was  found  short- 
ly after  at  the  same  place.  California  nuggets  worth 
$3,000  to  $5,txxD  might  be  mentioned  by  the  score. 

The  lar'?est  ever  discovered  in  Siberia  weighed  nine- 
ty-six pounds  four  ounces.  The  heaviest  nugget  of 
gold  ever  found  in  the  world  was  that  found  in  Aus- 
tralia in  1852.  It  weighed  22^  pounds  and  was  known 
as  the  Water  Moon  nugget. 

PROSPECTS  AT  KLONDYKE. 
The  Eldorado  and  Bonanza  claims,  states  one  re- 


f   (1 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


135 


port,  are  said  to  be  wonderful  and  they  expect  to  take 
out  over  three  millions  this  summer.  Ogilvie  told  me 
he  himself  washed  one  pan  of  dirt  with  $560  in  it.  I 
am  starting  to  build  a  shanty,  as  we  mi.ist  have  some 
headquarters,  and  unless  we  strike  some  paying  dig- 
gings this  summer  I  suppose  the  men  will  winter  here. 
I  have  made  out  provision  lists  for  a  year's  supply, 
and  will  order  the  stuff  when  the  boat  arrives,  I 
should  think  there  are  about  20,000  gallons  of  whisky 
being  brought  in,  and  any  amount  of  music  hall  and 
dance  house  paraphernalia.  I  hear  they  even  got  a 
piano  packed  across  the  summit.  There  is  any  amount 
of  wealth  here;  everybody  has  a  sack  of  dust  which 
is  chucked  about  promiscuous-like.  There  doesn't 
seem  to  be  any  money;  a  man  stands  drinks,  flops 
down  his  sack,  the  bartender  takes  out  a  handful, 
weighs  it,  puts  back  what  is  over  and  throws  the  sack 
back.  Everybody  wants  to  buy  canoes.  I  could  get 
$300  apiece  for  them.  Two  men  were  drowned  at  the 
White  Horse,  and  one  man  was  accidentally  shot  on 
Lebarge  and  killed:  and  several  boats  were  lost  on 
the  rocks  with  their  CcTgoes,  but  it  is  a  grand  river, 
and  with  very  little  work  could  be  made  navigable  for 
steamers  all  the  way  to  White  Horse  RaT)ids,  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  500  miles.  That  woulc.  give  them 
2,000  miles  from  the  south.  I  must  not  forget  to  tell 
you  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  being  able  to  buy  a 
claim  for  a  reasonable  price.  Several  of  the  police 
sold  out  half  interests  for  $40,000  and  there  are  nien 
here  who  refuse  to  take  $75,000  for  claims.  One  old 
ragged-looking  ruffian  laughed  scornfully  last  night 
at  a  ch^p  wrio  offered  him  $1,000  for  his  claim  and  said 
he  might  consider  $200,000.  Like  all  new  diggings, 
the  least  rumor  of  a  new  discovery  starts  them  going. 


1     1i: 


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186     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTIiT 

Last  night  &f  Alice,  the  Alaska  Company's  steamer, 
went  up  the  hver  from  here  with  about  200  men,  all 
bound  for  this  Henderson  creek.  I  suppose  there  are 
two  thousand  men  scattered  about  there.  Circle  City 
has  been  deserted  since  last  winter,  and  every  soul  has 
left  Fort  Cudahy  (formerly  Mile),  so  you  see  there  are 
any  amount  of  people  ahead  of  us,  and  our  only 
chance  that  T  see  is  to  watch  and  wait  for  new  discov- 
The  storekeeper  at  Fort  Selkirk  kept  a  register 
of  people  coming  in,  and  when  I  passed  there  some 
736  registered  this  spring,  and  130  who  passed  without 
stopping.  So  far  as  I  can  learn,  if  a  man  locates  a 
claim  he  can  do  nothing  till  the  winter  sets  in.  Then 
he  prospects  it  by  burning  out  the  frost  (occasionally 
washing  out  a  pan  or  so  over  the  stove  in  his  shanty). 
The  dump,  of  course,  freezes  solid  at  once,  and  is  left 
till  the  following  sunmier,  when  he  is  able  to  sluice  it. 
It  is,  of  course,  perpetual  frost  here,  but  directly  yoit 
dig  down  a  foot  it  fills  up  with  water  instantly.  Just 
now  all  the  streams  are  bank  full,  and  there  is  no  way 
to  get  p-ovisions  in,  except  what  you  can  carry  on 
yOur  back  which  is  not  much.  I  ])elieve  they  have  a 
sort  of  pack  trail  to  the  nearest  diggings  on  El  Do- 
rado creek,  about  eleven  miles  from  here.  The  whole 
thing  is  a  perfect  gamble.  There  are  no  surface  indi- 
'"'*^  ns  whatever,  and  the  coarsest  gold  has  been  found 
in  ilie  most  unlikely  places,  a  good  deal  of  it  in  black 
muck  under  a  muskeg." 

A  SUMMARY  BY  CALIFORNIANS.         > 

A  San  Francisco  report  states: 

The  rage  for  Klondyke  gold  grows  daily.  Cali- 
fornia is  sending  thousands  of  prospectors  up  the  coast 
with  the  hope  of  catching  transportation  to  the  fields 


fiSffr^y. 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


187 


in  Alaska.  Everybody  is  talking  gold,  and  every  new 
line  of  information  confirms  the  theory  that  Alaska  has 
an  incalculable  supply  of  the  yellow  metal. 

The  gold  is  found  in  the  gravel  beds  of  a  number 
of  creeks  In  this  region,  but  as  yet  very  little  ground 
has  been  broken.  No  one  has  advanced  more  than 
nine  miles  up  the  Klondyke,  operations  being  almost 
entirely  confined  to  the  district  around  Fionanza  creek 
and  its  first  tributary,  the  Eldorado. 

The  Clarence  Berry  mine  No.  6  is  on  the  latter  river. 
It  carries"  a  pay  streak  150  feet  wide,  averaging  three 
feet  in  thickness  the  full  length  of  the  claim.  The 
drift  is  about  nine  feet  thick,  and  immediately  below 
this  pay  dirt  is  encoxmtered,  avcragitig  from  8  cents 
to  25  cents  to  the  pan.  This  is  not  up  to  the  Klon- 
dyke standard,  however,  and  sinking  is  continued  until 
dirt  weighing  75  cents  a  pan  is  reached.  This  grade 
lies  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  below  the  surface, 
generally  close  to  the  bed  rock. 

On  other  fields  dirt  that  averages  10  cents  to  the 
pan  is  considered  very  rich,  but  here  it  runs  up  to  $4 
and  $5,  while  not  infrequently*  a  single  pan  yields  as 
high  as  $150  to  $200. 


.ri 


BIG  LUCK  FOR  "TENDERFEET." 


The  heaviest  washed  so  far  was  from  No.  6.  It 
weighed  $338,  one  nugget  alone  being  worth  $238. 
One  man  is  said  to  have  washed  out  $40,000  in  two 
days,  and  two  "tenderfeet"  from  Chicago,  Wier  and 
Beecher,  cleared  $20,000  in  two  months,  besides  pay- 
ing $10,000  royalty. 

The  luckiest  in  the  party  which  arrived  at  this  port 
lately  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lipton,  who,  though  they 
had  been  at  the  diggings  since  April,  1896,  only,  re- 


V        T  ! 

■til 


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turned  with  $60,000.  Most  of  the  party  were  "tender- 
feet,"  and  had  spent  but  one  season  at  the  mines,  yet 
some  of  them  had  taken  out  from  $10,000  to  $25,000 
in  a  few  weeks.  In  the  nine  miles  advance  uptheKlon- 
dyke,  it  is  said,  there  are  several  mines  that  will  yield 
over  $1,000,000,  one  piece  of  ground  on  the  Eldorado, 
forty-five  feet  wide,  having  yielded  $90,000.  The 
Berry  claim  has  produced  $145,000  in  a  few  months, 
and  there  is  a  pile  of  gravel  on  the  dump,  ready  to  be 
washed  as  soon  as  sufficient  water  can  be  obtained, 
which  contains  as  much  more. 

Every  man  at  Klondyke  is  a  gold  bug.  The  cur- 
rency is  gold  dust,  which  the  mail  carrier  between 
Juneau  and  Yukon  says  is  as  common  as  sawdust 
around  a  sash  factory.  Prosperity  has  struck  the  dis- 
trict with  a  big  P.  Every  newcomer  in  camp  is  seized 
up  at  once  and  offered  wages  as  high  as  $50  a  day, 
but  even  at  this  figure  men  cannot  be  obtained,  the 
greater  number  preferring  to  test  their  luck  digging 
for  themselves.  All  winter  men  received  $1.25  an 
hour  on  the  Berry  claim,  but  at  these  wages  not  a 
pick  would  have  been  raised  had  it  not  been  for  the 
fact  that  nothing  can  be  done  during  the  severe  cold 
but  pile  the  gravel  on  the  dump  ready  for  washing  in 
the  spring,  and  many  of  these  men  did  not  have 
enough  food  to  keep  them  at  this  work  on  their  own 
claims. 

Every  day  was  pay  da>i.  Mr.  Berry  settled  with  his 
men  every  night  merely  by  taking  a  pan  of  dirt,  wash- 
ing it  out  with  water  obtained  from  melted  ice,  and 
weighing  out  each  man's  time  in  gold  nuggeto.  His 
expenses  averaged  from  $100  to  $150  a  day  all  winter, 
but  this  was  a  small  sum  for  a  place  whence  every  man 
expects  to  return  home  a  millionaire,  and  where  a  man 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


U9 


with  less  than  $50  in  his  dust  sack  is  looked  upon  as 
broke. 

GOLD  IN  FROZEN  SOIL. 

In  consequence  of  the  climate  the  diggings  have 
softie  peculiar  features  new  to  gold  miners  of  the  old 
school.  The  gold  is  carried  in  gravel  beds  frozen  so 
hard  that  the  sun  never  penetrates  below  the  surface. 
Instead  of  powder,  fire  is  used  to  thaw  out  the  dirt 
and  a  shaft  is  sunk  to  the  bed  rock  when  drifting  is 
begun.  On  the  average  the  richest  dirt  is  from  four- 
teen to  eighteen  feet  below  the  surface  and  is  located 
by  means  of  prospect  holes.  The  miner  sinks  a  dozen 
or  fifteen  of  these  in  different  parts  of  his  claim,  deter- 
mines the  extent  and  thickness  of  the  pay  streak,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  arrives  at  a  tolerably  close  estimate  of 
the  richness  of  his  claim  by  averaging  a  number  of 
pans  from  each  hole. 

It  is  not,  as  might  be  supposed,  the  severe  winter 
that  is  the  chief  difficulty  to  be  overcome  by  the  Klon- 
dyke  miner,  nor  yet  the  frozen  state  of  the  ground, 
but  the  scarcity  of  food  and  the  problem  of  an  imfail- 
ing  supply  that  is  the  source  of  most  anxiety  to  him. 
At  present  his  position  is  precarious.  The  camps  are 
dependent  on  the  boats  for  supplies,  and  if  these  are 
delayed  or  fail  to  make  an  appearance  they  are  soon 
at  the  starvation  point.  The  water  way,  the  Yukon, 
is  frozen  nearly  all  the  year,  and  it  is  only  during  the 
short  summer  months  that  the  boats  can  get  up  at  all, 

VIEWS  BY  A  HARDY  MARINER. 

Lieutenant  John  Bryan  of  Lexington,  who  is  on  the 
revenue  cutter  Rush,  stationed  at  Unalaska,  Alaska, 
watching  the  seal  fisheries,  writes  under  date  of  Julyi 
9  to  relatives  in  Kentucky  that  the  Alaska  gold  fields 


!    Ir 


!     S 

i 


1 '     'iS 


I  '5 


'!h 


!   S  Si. 5 


!|H 


140     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 


are  not  overestimated.  He  says  the  placer  mining  is 
in  the  old  bed  of  the  Y>.kon  river.     He  says: 

"You  dig  no  deeper  than  fifteen  feet  into  the  river 
bed  when  you  strike  a  strata  of  pure  gold  nuggets 
among  the  stones.  There  are  eighty  claims  already 
taken,  each  5,000  feet  long  and  the  width  of  the  river 
bed. 

"The  great  obstacle  in  reaching  the  gold  fields  is  the 
uncomfortable  mode  of  travel.  Steamers  go  no  fur- 
ther than  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  and  you  have  to 
walk  the  1,000  miles  or  pay  the  extravagant  fare  asked 
by  the  company,  which  runs  a  small  boat  up  the  river 
and  finally  lands  you  near  the  gold  fields, 

"All  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  reach  the  country 
are  certain  to  find  employment,  even  if  they  do  not 
strike  a  claim,  which  at  present  they  could  avoid  only 
by  not  looking  for  it.  The  poorest  miners  will  pay 
$15  per  day  for  help  on  their  claims,  but  it  will  cost 
$5  per  day  to  live  unless  you  take  your  provisions  with 
you." 

The  lieutenant  says  he  has  the  gold  fever  badly,  and 
if  it  were  not  for  the  fact  that  he  is  in  the  government 
service  he  wauld  go  to  the  new  Eldorado. 


-IF. 


ill 


n 


FROM  A  CANADIAN  EDITOR. 

Thus  does  the  Toronto  "Globe"  sum  up  editorially 
the  evidence  on  the  situation  at  Klondyke:  "While 
there  is  probably  much  exaggeration  in  the  stories 
that  are  brought  back  from  the  Yukon,  it  is  only  nec- 
essary to  read  the  calm  oflficial  reports  of  Mr.  Ogilvie, 
the  well-known  officer  of  the  Geological  Survey,  to 
realize  that  it  is  equally  possible  that  there  is  no  exag- 
geration in  them  at  all.  Mr.  Ogilvie's  notes  read  like 
passages  from  M6nte  Cristo.     Vv^riting  on  December 


ik2  i 


!'  i 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


141 


9,  1896,  he  said:  "Bonanza  creek  and  tributaries  arc 
increasing  in  richness  and  extent  until  now  it  is  cer- 
tain that  millions  will  be  taken  out  of  the  district  in 
the  next  few  years.  On  some  of  the  claims  prospected 
the  pay  dirt  is  of  great'cxtent  and  very  rich.  One  man 
told  me  yesterday  that  he  had  washed  out  a  single  pan 
of  dirt  on  one  of  the  claims  on  Bonanza  and  found 
$14.25.  Of  course  that  may  be  an  exceptionally  rich 
pan,  but  $5  to  $7  per  pan  is  the  average  on  that  claim 
it  is  reported,  with  five  feet  of  pay  dirt  and  the  width 
yet  undetermined,  but  it  is  known  to  be  30  feet  even 
at  that;  figure  the  result  at  nine  to  ten  pans  to  the 
cubic  foot,  and  500  feet  long — nearl\  $4,000,000  at  $5 
per  pan.  One-fourth  of  this  would  be  enormous. 
Another  claim  has  been  prospected  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  is  known  there  is  about  five  feet  pay  dirt  av- 
eraging $2  per  pan,  and  width  not  less  than  30  feet. 
Enough  prospecting  has  been  done  to  show  that  there 
are  at  least  fifteen  miles  of  this  extraordinary  richness, 
and  the  indications  are  that  we  will  have  three  or  four 
times  that  extent,  if  not  all  equal  to  the  above,  at  least 
very  rich." 


A  SOBER  OFFICIAL  VIEW. 

This  is  the  language  of  an  official  report,  not  of  a 
claim  boomster.  It  will  be  observed  that  he  is  speak- 
ing of  Bonanza  creek.  These  ar:  the  claims  which  are 
usually  spoken  of  as  the  Klondyke  claims.  The  Bo- 
nanza is  a  creek  flowing  into  the  Klondyke,  which  in 
turn  flows  into  the  Yukon.  It  is  one  of  the  rivers 
mentioned  in  the  Washington  treaty.  By  t'u':  docu- 
ment Canadians  are  entitled  to  the  free  use  of  that 
part  of  the  Yukon  which  flows  through  Alaska.  An- 
other important  geographical  question  is  as  to  the 


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S:. 


'If  ts; 


I   •'  ■; 

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142     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRT 

boundary  line  between  Alaska  and  the  British  terri- 
tories. It  is  generally  known  that  it  is  claimed  there 
is  some  room  for  differences  of  opinion  as  to  the  in- 
terpretation of  the  wording  of  the  document  defining 
the  boundary.  There  can  be 'no  misunderstanding, 
however,  in  regard  to  the  territories  in  which  these 
discoveries  have  been  made.  The  141st  degree  of 
longitude  is  the  dividing  line.  So  soon  as  the  where- 
abouts of  that  degree  is  determined  the  matter  is  set- 
tled once  for  all.  All  that  is  needed  is  to  mark  the 
line  just  as  the  parallel  in  the  west  was  ascertained 
and  marked.  Mr.  Ogilvie's  task  in  the  Yukon  coun- 
try has  been  to  determine  this  point  on  behalf  of  the 
Canadian  government.  Beginning  at  the  Yukon  river 
itself  he  has  laid  out  the  line  and  marked  it  for  sev- 
eral miles  north  and  south  of  the  river.  The  first  re- 
sult of  his  observations  was  to  establish  that  Glacier 
and  Miller  creeks,  two  of  the  richest  camps  that  had 
been  struck  prior  to  the  discovery  of  Bonanza  creek 
and  which  had  been  considered  to  be  in  Alaska,  were 
really  in  British  territory.  Of  course  Mr.  Ogilvie's 
location  will  not  be  considered  as  final  until  the  United 
States  officers  have  tested  his  observations  and  calcu- 
lations, bt^t  as  he  has  now  taken  the  bearings  twice 
and  arrived  at  practically  the  same  conclusion  each 
time  it  is  scarcely  likely  that  much  change  can  be 
effected.  , 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Mr.  Ogilvie  is  of  opinion  that 
the  Yukon  gold  fields  are  a  continuation  of  the  de- 
posits that  extend  through  British  Columbia.  He 
says:  "In  the  line  of  these  finds  farther  south  is  the 
Gassier  gold  field  in  British  Columbia,  so  the  pre- 
sumption is  that  we  have  in  our  territory  along  the 
easterly  watershed  of  the  Yukon  a  gold-bearing  belt 


.i . ; 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


Itt 


of  indefinite  width  and  upwards  of  300  miles  long,  ex- 
clusive of  the  British  Columbia  part  of  it."  This  great 
stretch  of  country  has  scarcely  been  nibbled  at  as  yet, 
and  the  possibilities  of  the  remainder  can  only  be  sur- 
mised. There  is  evidently  a  future  for  quartz  mining 
in  the  country.  Mr.  Ogilvie  speaks  of  Conehill  as 
richer  and  more  extensive  than  even  the  great  Tread- 
well  mine  in  Alaska.  It  is  a  peculiarly  fitting  dispen- 
sation that  in  this  region  of  bitter  winters  there  are  ex- 
tensive coal  deposits  close  at  hand.  The  summer  is 
warm  enough  and  long  enough  to  enable  vegetables 
to  be  grown. 


THE  GLOBE  EXULTS. 

These  seem  to  be  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  as  Cana- 
dians we  may  congratulate  ourselves  that  this  other- 
wise forbidding  outpost  of  the  Dominion  promises  to 
add  considerably  to  the  national  wealth.  The  offi- 
cials of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  at  Ottawa  are 
entitled  to  all  praise  for  the  promptitude  with  which 
they  have  established  the  reign  of  British  law  and  or- 
der in  that  distant  region  by  stationing  there  a  body 
of  the  Northwest  Mounted  Police.  There  is  still  an 
extensive  task  to  be  accomplished,  however.  Wealth 
such  as  this  is  national  wealth,  and  the  nation  should 
get  some  advantage  from  its  exploitation.  At  present 
there  is  a  payment  of  a  fee  of  $15  for  each  claim  lo- 
cated. It  is  evident,  however,  that  this  is  inadequate. 
A  system  of  royalties  would  undoubtedly  best  cover 
the  case.  The  customs  arrangements  should  also  be 
made  as  perfect  as  possible.  The  difficulty  ot  accom- 
plishing all  this  in  a  region  so  remote  and  so  inac- 
cessible is  quite  apparent,  and  no  one  expects  that 
time  and  space  can  be  annihilated. 


CH'  ii'^j/'^'.^if.'^y. 


f"    i 


II 


i  ill. 

i  Hi. 


144     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 

A  word  of  warning  is  also  necessary.  There  is  not 
so  much  likelihood  that  a  Klondike  craze  can  be  pro- 
duced at  tliis  distance  from  the  scene  as  has  evidently 
taken  hold  of  the  dwellers  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Nev- 
ertheless it  is  just  worth  pointing  out  that  the  man 
whi>  goes  to  that  countiy  v^ithout  the  means  of  keep- 
ing himself  for  a  long  period  courts  destruction.  He 
cannot  repent  and  come  back  whenever  he  likes.  He 
is  apt  to  be  tied  up  over  winter  in  a  place  where  the 
merest  necessaries  of  life  are  held  at  fabulous  prices. 
The  present  position  of  things  makes  it  essential  that 
the  gold-seeker  should  be  a  capitalist  in  a  small  way 
before  he  tempts  the  rigors  and  deprivations  of  the 
arctic  circle. 


'■' !-<!'' 

;  ■,' 

'''■■!*Mi 

•     J.      V 

1    . 

■'1  . 

■'•i 

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i /•■.,;■ 


*  ♦•' 


CHAPTER  V. 


■■"S 


ROMANCE  OF  THE  MINES. 

Women  at  Klondyke  —  Words  of  Warning  —  A 
Kingdom  for  a  Dog — Crime  Made  Difficult — Ban 
Put  on  Lawyers — Game  Driven  Away — Nat  a  Para- 
dise— No  Place  for  Dreamers — A  Land  of  Moon- 
shine—  A  Plucky  Woman  —  The  First  "Boiled 
Shirt" — On  an  Errand  of  Mercy-^Told  by  a  Chicago 
Woman — The  Kings  of  the  Klondyk-e — A  Sanguine 
Report — To  Be  No  Famine — Eager  for  News — A 
Spectacle  for  tie  Gods — Not  Eas>  to  Get — As  She 
Sn  *v  It  —  The  Humorist  Is  There  —  Mrs.  Healy's 
Mine — Evidence  of  Coal — Woman  Who  Dare — The 
Barney  Barnato  of  the  ivlondyke — Faced  the  Dan- 
gers— Pushing  Onward — Wan:"i  Gold — For  the 
Wonian  He  Loved — A  Remarkable  Bridal  Trip — 
Like  a  Fairy  Tale — The  Goiden  Pot — $' 0,000  Pii; 
Money — Worth  $1,000,000  a  month — $595  From  a 
Single  Pan — Larsford's  Good  ^orlune — Driven  to 
Wealth — After  Many  Years — Two  Dauntless  Wom- 
en— First  Over  the  Chilkoot — Gold  Is  What  They 
Want — An  xA.lpine  Climber — Bloomers  and  Heavy 
Skirts. 

Dawson  City  has  a  population  of  2,500,  of  hese  only 
thirty-three  are  women.  Mrs.  Tom  Lipp'  is  the  first 
woman  who  crossed  the  divide  and  went  into  the  new 
Klondyke  camp.  She  is  a  little,  lithe,  brown-haired 
woman,  with  honest  brown  eyes  that  have  no  fear  in 

145 


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I  ill  f  ■■   I 


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14«     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 


MR.  CLARENCE   J.  BERRY. 


.  ■,    •  ,   '  I 


.-.;>;'. ;;'^^   •'■;,.■,;;.,    v  ,.     ;  v  ;- 


o 


T;  \\ 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


147 


them.    She  does  not  think  she  did  anything  remark-- 
able  in  following  her  husband  where  many  men  are 
afraid  to  go.    She  dresses  neatly  now  and  in  the  latest 
style,  and  the  only  mark  of  her  hard  life  is  the  tan, 
which  it  will  take  months  to  remove.    She  says: 

"I  was  the  first  white  woman  on  the  creek  and  the 
only  one  in  our  camp.  There  was  anoth';r  one  mile 
from  us,  Mrs.  Berry.  She  was  the  only  white  woman 
I  had  to  speak  to  while  we  were  at  camp.  When  we 
got  to  Eldorado  creek  we  lived  in  a  tent  until  Mr.  Lip- 
py  got  our  log  cabir  built.  It  is  12  feet  by  8,  eight 
logs  high,  w^ith  mud  and  moss  roof  and  moss  between 
the  chinks,  and  has  a  door  and  window.  Mr.  Lippy 
made  the  furniture — a  rough  bed,  table  and  some 
stools.  We  had  a  stove — there  are  plenty  of  stoves 
in  that  country — and  that  was  all  we  needed.  The 
cabin  was  cozy  and  warm.  I  looked  after  the  nouse- 
keeping  and  Mr.  Lipp>  after  the  mining. 

"Everything  we  had  to  eat  was  canned.  Things 
were  canned  that  I  never  knew  could  be  canned  before. 
Of  course,  we  missed  fresh  food  dreadfully,  1)ut  we 
kept  well  and  strong.  We  had  no  fresh  milk  or  meats 
or  fruits  or  eggs.  -  " ' ' 

"Amusements?  Well,  nobody  bothereu  :'  ;jch  about 
amusements.  Everyone  was  busy  and  kept  busy  all 
the  time.  I  did  my  work.  Mining  is  hard  work — one 
doesn't  pick  gold  off  the  ground.  It  is  genuine  toil, 
and  when  Mr.  Lippy  iinisiied  he  wanted  to  rest.  All 
men  were  about  alike  on  that  point. 

"Fashion?  Well,  we  were  not  entirely  cut  olT  from 
the  fashionable  world.  People  were  coming  in  all  the 
time.  We  got  fashion  papers,  a  few  months  old,  to 
be  sure,  but  still  they  ke}>t  us  fairly  up  to  time.  One 
trader  brought  some  shockingly  old-fashioned  cloaks. 


i 


148     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRT 


iji  r 


.fl     •!  >: 


II;: 


1 


>l  / 


MRS.  CLARENCE   J.   BERRY, 


i#.' 


AND  TH-::  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


14» 


to  camp,  but  we  wouldn't  look  at  them.  He  had  to 
sell  them  to  Indians.  I  didn't  change  my  way  of  dress- 
ing particularly.  I  dressed  more  warmly  to  suit  the 
climate,  and  wore  fur  boots  and  a  cap  constantly  dur- 
ing the  cold  weather,  but  in  summer  we  dressed  much 
as  at  home." 

,^,      ^       WORDS  OF  WARNING. 

Miss  Anna  Fulcomer,  a  plucky  University  of  Chi- 
cago girl,  sends  home  word  from  the  valley  of  the  Yu- 
kon. She  has  been  there,  under  government  auspices, 
a  year,  living  until  recently  at  Circle  City.  Now  she  is 
at  Klondyke, whither, like  hundreds,  she  went  in  hopes 
of  "striking  a  rich  vein,"  and  is  apparently  convinced 
that  her  vision  of  wealth  was  a  chimera. 

Miss  Fulcomer  has  had  a  rather  unusual  expedi- 
ence for  a  woman  of  refinement  and  education.  She 
is  28  years  old,  of  Norse  descent,  and  imbued  with  her 
race's  traditional  love  of  adventure.  This  is  her  sec- 
ond trip  to  Alaska.  She  went  to  the  Yukon  this  time 
to  teach  an  Indian  school  for  the  government,  to 
study  the  natives  for  the  benefit  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  to  gather  facts  for  a  book,  and  incidental- 
ly to  grow  richer  and  older,  her  fortune  to  increase  out 
of  all  proportion  to  her  years. 

May  7  she  wrote  home  to  her  sister,  Mrs.  L.  F. 
Beach,  that  there  were  only  six  men  and  three  women 
left  in  Circle  City — the  rest  had  gone  in  a  bodji  to 
Klondyke — and  that  she  intended  to  pack  up  and  fol- 
low the  crowd. 


II 


A  KINGDOM  FOR  A  DOG. 

So  she  hired  a  dog  for  $30 — agreeing  to  pay  $75  if 
anything  happened  to  the  animal— and  had  a  man 


IW«WW»<BWWIWWW'»'IWWf*'«'W'WIWW't 


iff 


160     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 


I,    ■■ 


If 

'1 1i 


I 


thrown  in  for  nothing.  A  few  clays  later  she  was  on 
the  trail  of  the  gold-seeking  throng.  She  was  to  get 
half  the  results  of  the  enterprise.  At  her  last  writing 
— the  letter  was  received  in  Chicago  two  days  ago — 
her  share  was  a  good  deal  like  Alaskan  weather — con- 
siderably below  zero. 

"A  dog,  a  dog,  my  kingdom  for  a  dog,"  is  the  gen- 
eral cry  here.  Horses  have  practically  proved  a  failure 
here  as  a  means  of  transportation.  They  have  to  be 
housed  in  tents  in  which  a  fire  i:  kept.  The  dogs, 
however,  live  on  next  to  nothing,  and  often  make 
quite  astonishing  time.  We  had  a  visitor  at  the  house 
I  am  living  in  some  time  ago  who  came  on  a  dog 
sledge  eighty  miles  in  nineteen  hours  without  once 
stopping.  Another  man  came  here  240  miles  in  five 
days.  The  relative  value  placed  on  men  and  dogs  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  I  could  get  an  experienced  man 
for  my)  trip  to  Klondyke  for  nothing,  but  had  to  pay 
$30  rental  for  a  dog  and  had  to  make  a  contract  to 
pay  $75  if  anything  happened  to  the  animal.  The 
hopes  of  hundreds  here  rest  on  their  ability  to  get  a 
bob-tailed  dog.  When  I  set  out  on  my  gold-finding 
enterprise  I  found  that  my  case  was  not  an  excep- 
tion." ^ 


;   hi  u..i 


;,     •  CRIME  MADE  DIFFICULT. 

Miss  Fulcomer  gives  a  good  report  of  the  manners 
and  morals  of  the  camps.  During  her  residence  of  a 
year  at  Circle  City  she  knew  of  no  murder  being  com- 
mitted and  little  lawlessness.  The  miners  make  a  law 
unto  themselves,  and  all  tacitly  accept  its  unwritten 
mandates. 

"One  of  the  peculiar  features  of  the  new  camp  is  the 
lack  of  shooting,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Canadian 


I! 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


US 


government  does  not  permit  men  to  carry  firearms. 
Police  disarm  miners  when  ihey  enter  the  district,  so 
that  there  is  not  any  of  the  lawlessness  and  crime 
which  marked  early  placer  mining  in  California.  There 
is  much  gambling  and  play  is  high. 

BAN  PUT  ON  LAWYERS.         * 

"Lawyers  and  other  disturbers  of  the  peace"  are 
kept  out,  and  this  is  the  reason  assigned  for  the  quiet 
and  order  that  prevail. 

"The  camps  are  in  no  sense  to  be  compared  with 
the  camps  in  California  during  the  gold  fever  there,'' 
says  Miss  Fulcomer.  "Their  inaccessibility  in  a  large 
measure  protects  them  from  desperate  characters.  It 
is  a  900-milc  trip  over  the  snow  from  Juneau  to  the 
gold  fields,  and  it  is  a  hardy  person  who  would  enter 
upon  a  trip  that  none  but  arctic  explorers  ordinarily 
would  undertake.  The  climate,  too,  makes  living  out 
of  doors  impossible,  and  it  costs  money  to  live  under 
shelter.  These  conditions,  as  you  will  readily  under- 
stand, help  to  keep  away  mere  adventurers. 

"But  it  is  a  dreary  place  to  be  side-tracked  in.  The 
average  miner  and  prospector  is  buoyed  up  by  the 
knowledge  that  there  is  gold  in  abundance  on  the 
Yukon,  and  the  hope  that  he  may  make  a  fortune 
quickly.  For  the  rest  of  one's  personal  experience, 
the  less  glowing  accounts  that  arc  given  the  better." 


GAME  DRIVEN  AWAY. 


"Game  has  been  utterly  driven  from  the  mountains. 
Fish  are  frozen  in  eight  months  in  the  year.  Once  in 
a  while  you  can  get  fresh  meat  at  50  cents  a  pound. 
The  fresh  meat  used  at  our  Christmas  dinner,  ho>vcver, 
cost  $19.50  a  pound.    There  was  gold  enough  in  the 


^:.! 


!     1 


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IM     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 


,f:i 


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taste  even  to  make  it  lie  a  dead  weight  on  the  stom- 
ach. You  can  readily  see  that  an  experienced  miner 
here  has  to  be  successful  in  order  to  live.  What  would 
become  of  a  'tenderfoot'  it  is  easy  to  imagine.  I  can 
see  little  in  store  for  the  man  who  gets  here  after  or 
late  in  August  but  hardship  and  privation. 

"Of  course  there  will  be  new  and  probably  large 
accessions  to  the  population  here.  Those  stricken 
with  the  gold  fever  keep  flocking  here  and  the  influx 
of  would-be  miners  will  doubtless  continue  till  every- 
thing is  frozen  up  so  tight  that  it  will  be  impossible  to 
do  anything  but  hunger,  look  at  the  moon  and  wait, 
for  next  May.  It  is  to  the  interest  of  the  transporta- 
tion companies  to  encourage  this  migration  of  the  peo- 
ple north,  since  they  get  the  transportation  money — it 
costs  about  $150  to  go  from  Seattle  to  Klondyke — 
and  besides  have  a  corner  on  supplies.  All  who  go  to 
the  gold  fields  will  have  to  buy  from  them.  The 
transportation  companies  will  thus  of  necessity  reap  a 
rich  harvest,  and  the  rest — well,  they  will  learn  by 
experience.  I  think  the  inexperienced  should  be 
warned  in  the  interest  of  mere  humanity.  The  fact  is, 
the  rich  grounds  are  all  staked,  and  the  movement  of 
people  here  should  stop  till  next  spring,  when  such 
milder  weather  as  we  have  will  make  prospecting  on 
new  and  untried  lands  possible.  Otherwise  people 
will  be  in  a  sorry  plight." 

Miss  Fulcomer  refers  jocosely  to  the  odd  figure  she 
cuts  in  her  arctic  dress.  She  sent  to  Siberia  and  had 
three  pairs  of  mukluks,  or  native  fur  shoes  made. 
These,  with  wide,  baggy  fur  trousers,  a  long  fur  coat, 
and  a  fur  cap  constitute  her  outfit. 


AND  THE  OOI.D  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


in 


NOT  A  PARADISE. 

"One  of  the  great  causes  of  sufFcritij^  here,"  she 
says,  "is  that  Americans  put  on  their  heaviest  clothing 
almost  as  soon  as  they  get  here.  The  result  is  that 
when  regular  winter  weather  sets  in  and  the  thermom- 
eter gets  down  to  80  or  90  degrees  below  zero,  they 
nearly  perish.  This,  with  the  difficulty  of  getting 
good,  fresh,  wholesome  living,  makes  the  Yukon  gold 
region  anything  but  an  El  Dorado. 

"This,"  Miss  Fulcomcr  explains,  "is  not  because 
there  is  not  gold  at  Klondyke — there  is  gold  in  abund- 
ance, dirt  rich  enough  on  sonie  claims  to  yield  from 
$100  to  $500  per  pan;  but  it  is  mined  with  difficulty, 
mined  in  a  small  way,  mined  slowly,  so  that  for  the 
average  experienced  digger  the  profits  are  swallowed 
up  in  the  expenses.  Men  who  have  been  mining  at 
other  points  in  Alaska  and  the  British  Dominion  vir- 
tually abandoned  their  old  claims,  owing  to  the  craze 
over  Klondyke,  hurried  there  and  staked  off  their 
claims,  and  are  holding  or  working  them.  This  was 
early  in  the  movement,  and  consequently  newcomers 
have  to  be  content  with  the  leavings  of  the  old  men  in 
the  work. 


.! 


NO  PLACE  FOR  DREAMERS. 

"I  pity  the  people  who  come  here  under  the  delu- 
sion that  mining  life  here  is  anything  comparable  with 
what  it  was  during  tlic  gold  excitement  in  California. 
There  are  only  four  mining  months — May,  June,  July 
and  August — and  even  then  the  groimd  never  thaws 
out  more  than  two  or  two  and  one-half  inches.  The 
rest  of  the  year  the  soil  is  like  a  solid  rock  It  is  no 
unusual  thing  for  the  mercury  to  fall  90  or  95  degrees 
below  zero.    The  only  way  we  can  raise  turnips  here 


IM     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

is  on  the  housetops,  where  they  put  a  liberal  coat  of 
soil.  The  heat  from  below  and  the  light  from  above 
develop  the  vegetables.  To  go  prospecting  before 
May  or  after  August  is  out  of  the  question,  and  in  the 
four  months  I  have  named  it  is  a  matter  of  about 
three  hoi  rs  a  day. 

A  LAND  OF  MOONSHINE. 

"While  teaching  at  Circle  City  I  went  to  school  by 
the  light  of  the  setting  moon — that,  was  about  9  o'clock 
in  the  morning — and  went  home  at  noon  by  the  light 
of  the  rising  moon.  Literacy,  I  have  lived  in  moon- 
light for  the  last  year.  The  coldest  we  had  it  last  win- 
ter was  65  degrees  below  ^ero,  but  mild  as  the  weather 
was — for  Alaska — it  was  quite  cold  enough  to  make 
one  feel  the  need  of  good,  solid  food.  Apropos  of  the 
living  here,  it  is  well  enough  for  them  to  say  there  is 
no  lack  of  provisions.  Actually  the  natives  and  miners 
haven't  the  necessaries  of  life,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
comforts.  It  is  impossible  to  get  fresh  meat.  It  is 
simply*  a  matter  of  canned  goods,  and  these  have  to  be 
bought  from  the  trading  posts  of  the  Alaska  Commer- 
cial company  or  the  American  Transportation  com- 
pany, at  the  companies'  prices,  and  they  charge  what 
they  like  One  dollar  a  pound  for  flour,  salcratus  and 
potatoes  is  the  usual  rate." 


f4 


tk 


H' 


A  PLUCKY  WOMAN. 

One  of  the  pioneer  women  gold  hunters  of  the  Yu- 
kon, Mrs.  J.  T.  Wills  of  Tacoma,  has  struck  it  rich 
on  the  Klondyke.  Only  a  few  weeks  ago  she  was 
taking  in  washing  and  now  she  is  worth  a  quarter  of  a 
million  dollars. 

"I  have  gone  through  death,"  she  writes  to  Mrs. 


'^'.^"^"•i'X' 


W 


AND  THE  aOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


187 


Frank  P.  Hicks,  "and  a  fight  has  been  made  against 
me  to  take  possession  of  my  claim,  but  I  will  stand  by 
my  rights  if  it  takes  five  years." 

Mrs.  Wills  is  a  woman  of  iron  will.  Her  husband  is 
a  gun  and  locksmith,  and  troubled  with  rheumatism. 
He  could  not  go  out  i'.ti/  the  frozen  north  and  his  wife 
went  for  him.  For  two  years  she  made  little  money 
and  was  almost  disheartered,  when  the  Klondyke 
mines  were  discovered.  She  immediately  joined  a 
party  of  cattlemen  and  hurried  to  tlie  new  diggini;;s, 
and  was  among  the  fir.st  to  secure  claims.  She  went 
to  work  as  cook  for  the  Alaska  Commercial  company's 
mess  at  Dawson  City  and  is  receiving  $15  per  day  for 
her  services. 

THE  FIRST  "BOILED  SHIRT." 

While  doing  washing  Mrs.  Wills  introduced  the 
first  "boiled  shirt"  into  the  Yukon  gold  camp  and 
paid  $2.50  for  the  box  of  starch  with  which  she 
starched  it.  Her  first  assistant  in  the  laundry  was  a 
squaw,  to  whom  Mrs.  Wills  paid  $4  a  day  and  Ijoard. 
Her  little  log  cabin  cost  her  $35  a  month  and  her  sup- 
ply of  wood  for  the  winter  cost  $225.  A  25-cent  wash- 
board cost  her  six  times  that  amount,  and  while  she 
made  a  small  fortune  washing  and  baking  bread,  Mrs. 
Wills  complains  that  the  trading  company  got  most  of 
it.  Mrs.  Wills  parts  her  hair  on  the  side  like  a  man 
and  is  stout  and  jolly.  She  is  50  years  of  age  and  is 
industrious  and  a  good  business  woman. 

ON  AN  ERRAND  OF  MERCY. 

Two  Sisters  of  Mercy,  whose  destination  is  the 
Klondyke  gold  fields,  will  soon  reach  San  Francisco. 
They  go  on  errands  of  mercy*  ready  to  brave  the  se- 


M 


t 


168     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

verities  of  an  Arctic  winter.  The  two  young  women 
arc  coming  from  Lachine,  in  the  Province  of  Qeubec. 
During  their  sojourn  in  San  Francisco  they  will  be 
the  guests  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Family. 

The  two  travelers  belong  to  the  Sisterhood  of  Saint 
Anne.  They  do  not  c:.pect  to  be  able  to  go  any 
further  than  St.  Michael's  this  year.  There  are  already 
tliirteen  Sisters  of  the  order  of  Saint  Anne  in  Alaska, 
some  at  St.  Michael's,  others  at  Holy  Cross  and  St. 
Joseph,  and  the  remainder  at  Circle  City.  ♦^ 

At  the  latter  place  there  is  a  hospital  under  the  care 
of  the  Sisters  and  to  this  histitution  U>€  two  Sisters 
who  are  to  arrive  to-morrow  v,'ill  go.  The  intention  of 
the  order  is  to  increase  the  number  of  Sisters  at  Circle 
City,  fet'ling  sure  that,  with  the  great  influx  of  miners 
to  the  Yvikoti  territory,  their  services  will  be  required. 

TOLD  BY  A  CHICACiO  WOMAN. 

Mrr..  Eli  Gage,  wife  of  the  son  of  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  came  from  St,  Michael's  on  the  ship  that 
brought  the  Kluiulyke  argonauts  fronii  Alaska.  It  is 
more  than  likely  that  she  will  return  this  year  or  early 
next  spring  to  join  her  husband,  who  is  the  steam- 
ship manager  at  the  port. 

"It  is  almost  i!n})Ossible  to  tell  how  much  money  the 
Portland  brought  into  the  States,"  she  says.  "The 
boat  was  filled  with  returning  miners  and  prospectors 
and  the  smallest  deposit  made  in  the  ship's  safe  was 
foi  $i5,(H'JO,  Tiiere  were  nwny  otliers— so  many  that 
the  captain's  room  was  hkc  the  treasure  store  of  a 
king.  U  vvas  literally  tilled  with  gold  in  all  forms,  and 
while  I  sat  in  the  midst  of  the  wealth  it  occur. ed  to 
me  that  the  old  trade  of  buccaneering  had  missed  a 
rare  chance  in  not  waiting  by  the  sea  road  for  this  load 


r.   •- 


•':^'-'^; 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIKTaDS  OF  ALASKA. 


THE  KINGS  OF  THE  KLONDYKE. 

"This  ship  had  on  board  the  greatest  of  tb  .  fortune 
finders.  Frank  Phiscator,  who  went  from  lower  Mich- 
igan, had  $96,000.  This  I  know  to  be  a  fact,  as  I  saw 
the  metal.  Clarence  J.  Berry  had  more  yet,  and  a  man 
named  Clements  seemed  to  have  a  wagon  full.  These 
three  men  and  one  other  were  wise  before  they  left 
the  river.  TIk'v  bought  all  the  claims  they  could  get, 
and  it  might  be  .'iaid  that  they  are  the  kings *of  the 
Bonanza,  the  El  Dorado  and  the  other  of  the  best 
known  rreeks.  It  is  not  possible  for  any  human  be- 
ing to  calculate  how  much  they  are  worth. 

"The  country  is  enormously  rich.  The  present  gold 
diggings  are  ouiy  a  very  small  part  of  it,  and  there  is 
little  doubt  that  there  are  millions  onl;'  waiting  for 
the  miners  to  come  and  dig  out.  Tlie  men  from  the 
Klondyke  are  not  the  men  to  exaggerate,  for  I  have 
talked  with  people  whom  1  know  to  be  truthful." 

In  glowing  ternjs  Mrs.  Gage  praise;-  the  people  who 
are  there,  and  sr.ys  the  reports  are  not  in  the  least  ex- 
aggerated. 

Mrs.  (jage  went  to  Dawson  to  see  her  husband,  who 
is  the  representative  of  Mr.  Weare's  company  at  Daw- 
oon.  She  investigated  the  Klondyke  region  and  comes 
back  to  Chicago  full  (A  enthusiasm  about  the  territory. 
During  her  stay  she  had  every  opportunity  to  see  ex- 
actly what  the  situation  was,  and  had  it  not  been  for 
her  relatives  anrl  her  baby,  which  she  could  not  take 
with  her  0:1  account  of  the  intense  severity  of  the  cli- 
mate, she  wouhl  probably  not  have  returned  until  ne.Kt 
spring.  She  was  l-apin-  in  the  stran[,o  land  and  with- 
stood the  cold  wonderfully  well. 


fs  f 


jl 


MO     OPPICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 

A  SANGUINE  REPORT. 

Mrs,  Gage  says  there  is  a  wonderful  quantity  of  gold 
in  the  Yukon  field  and  any  man  who  has  $500  for 
"grub  staking"  a  claim  need  have  no  fear  in  going  to 
the  Klondyke  region  in  hopes  of  a  rich  harv'cst,  for 
he  is  sure  of  gaining  it. 

Even  though  a  man  go  poorly  equipped  and  sup- 
plied, he  rarely  rec«  ives  poor  treatment  from  the  hands 
of  his  neighbors,  -tnd  may  find  plenty  of  work  to  do 
which  will  enable  him  to  earn  from  $15  to  $17  per 
day. 

Mrs.  Gage  speaks  well  of  the  people  who  make  up 
the  population,  duelling  on  the  fact  that  they  are  a 
class  who  may  be  trusted,  and  that  they  form  a  desir- 
able community.  The  valley  of  the  Yukon  is  not 
populated  with  such  men  as  constitute  a  large  part  of 
the  western  mining  camps. 


l 


TO  BE  NO  FAMINE. 

One  thing  Mrs.  Gage  particularly  emphasizes.  It 
is  that  there  is  abr^olutely  no  truth  in  the  report  of 
famine.  It  has  been  said  starvation  would  overtake 
many  who  went  to  Alaska  this  fall,  but  Mrs.  Gage  is 
firu)  in  her  belief  tliat  enough  supplies  are  being  taken 
from  Seattle  and  San  Francisco  by  the  two  trading 
coni[)anies  in  Alaska. 

"Those  in  charge  of  tlie  business  of  these  concerns," 
she  said,  "are  making  ample  preparations  for  the  com- 
ing winter.  They  fear  no  fannne,  and  the  individual 
miuers  are  taking  advice  and  are  already  supplying 
themselves  with  necessities.  There  is  gold  enough  in 
Alaska  for  everyone."  , 


y. 


y. 


y. 

< 


y. 


^^.i'i 


< 


u 
y. 

u 

V. 


o 


■*^ 


Si   \ 


AND  THE  GOLD  PIEX.DS  OP  ALASKA. 


168 


EAGER  FOR  NEWS. 

"I  left  Seattle  for  Alaska  May  26,"  she  said,  "and 
not  until  July  3  did  I  board  the  Portland,  one  of  the 
three  ocean  steamers  of  the  North  American  Trading 
and  Transportation  company,  which  left  St.  Michael's 
on  the  return  for  Seattle.  I  was  aboard  the  Portland 
two  weeks,  reaching  Seattle  July  17.  While  there, 
as  well  as  all  the  way  home  to  Chicago,  everyone  ap- 
peared wonderfidl}'  interested  in  the  region  from  which 
I  had  just  come,  and  when  it  became  known  that  I  had 
just  arrived  from  Alaska  T  had  actually  to  hide  in  the 
drawing-room  of  the  train.  People  in  Seattle  were 
wild  with  excitement  when  the  Portland  reached  there, 
as  it  was  the  first  boat  from  the  scene  of  tlie  great  dis- 
coveries, although  the  Alaska  Commercial  company's 
boat  had  reached  San  Francisco,  its  port,  before  that 
date. 

A  SPECTACLE  FOR  THE  GODS. 

"Four  great  Alaskan  miners  came  down  with  us, 
and  a  more  than  interesting  sight  was  to  go  down  into 
the  great  safe  on  the  ship  and  see  the  bags  of  gijld 
dust.  There  !iave  been  many  fortunes  found  in  Alas- 
ka, yet  there  is  gold  enough  to  satisfy  everyone. 

"Mr.  Gage  is  at  Dawson  and  will  not  return  until 
spring.  He  is  constantly  busy  and  likes  the  life. 
Since  my  arrival  in  Seattle  I  heard  that  a  man  whom 
he  had  'grub  staked'  has  dug  up  gold  worth  $35,o<X) 
in  three  months  on  a  small  claim.  If  a  man  goes  out 
there  without  money  he  can  very  soon  earn  it,  for 
wages  paid,  even  for  conmion  labor,  in  all  the  region 
range  from  $15  to  $17  per  day. 

"I  am  almost  sure  I  shall  return  to  the  Yukon  val- 
ley to  spend  the  winter.  The  last  boat  sails  from  Se- 
attle August  28.     The  only  thing  to  keep  me  is,  I  can't 


.I 

'i 


4 

f 

I' 


164     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKF  CoUNTR  f 

take  my  baby  on  account  of  the  cold.  As  for  my- 
self, I  am  not  afraid,  for  it  is  such  a  dry  cold  that  one 
hardly  feels  it.  Women  are  always  safe  in  the  Yukon. 
Although  beer  and  wine  are  sold,  the  men  are  rarely 
disorderly."        ^ 

NOT  EASY  TO  GET. 

"Men  who  go  to  Alaska  for  gold  ought  to  be 
warned  that  they  are  not  going  to  get  it  easily.  It 
comes  at  the  risk  of  life  and  in  the  face  of  possible 
absolute  failure.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  danger 
from  a  famine  up  there  this  winter,  as  the  steamship 
companies  have  prepared  abund-intly  all  the  ports 
with  supplies.  1  am  not  quite  decided  whether  to 
go  back  this  year  or  wait  until  spring.  Mr.  Gage  and 
the  steamship  people  cannot  think  of  taking  a  vaca- 
tion at  this  time.  They  are  driven  hard  to  take  care 
of  the  rush  of  prospectors.  Seattle  is  simply  insane 
over  the  reports  from  the  north,  and  men  are  using 
desperate  means  to  get  enough  money  to  start  for  the 
field. 

"There  need  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  truth  of  the 
stories  of  great  wealth  found  in  a  few  months.  I  saw 
the  best  of  it  myself,  and  the  Portland  was  fairly 
weighted  down  with  the  treasure." 

Mrs.  Gage  is  yoimg  and  not  of  large  stature.  She 
says  her  health  was  never  better  than  when  in  Alaska. 


r 


I 
t 


AS  SHE  SAW  IT. 

Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Mellor,  superintendent  of  the 
United  States  Indian  Training  school  at  Unala^ka, 
Alaska,  has  just  returned  with  six  Indian  girls,  who 
will  be  educated  as  missionaries.  Miss  Mellor  arrived 
at  Seattle  on  the  steamer  Portland  July  17. 

The  hardships  in  the  Northwestern  gold  region,  she 


,*  ^>su,:,]t4^»/,H^X.*?,. 


mmmm 


■.'.*;,'    •■■* 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


1<6 


says,  are  terrible.  Summers  are  short,  winters  are 
long,  and  the  supply  of  food  and  clothing  inadequate. 
"When  I  left  flour  was  selling  at  the  rate  of  $50  a 
sack,  and  if  the  luxury  of  eggs  was  indulged  in  the 
consumers  paid  $4  per  dozen.  Then  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  each  vgg  of  the  twelve  was  not  what 
a  Pennsylvania  farmer  would  consider  freshly  laid. 
Clothing  is  also  hard  to  obtain  and  is  high  in  price, 
the  majority  of  the  gold  seekers  wearing  clothes  made 
of  coarse  woolen  blankets." 


THE  HUMORIST  IS  THERE. 

"When  the  'chechockoes' — newcoiuers  from  the 
outside  world — reached  Klondyke  this  spring,  many 
of  them  were  told  that  on  another  creek  a  strike  cfjual 
to  Klondyke  had  been  made.  So  they  started  over  the 
mountains,  through  snow^  and  water,  most  of  them 
packing  their  blankets  and  'grub'  on  their  backs — 
only  to  find  that  they  had  been  'jobbed'  (a  joke  gotten 
off  at  their  expense),  w'ith  no  foundation  to  the  rumor. 

"This  seems  heartless  and  cruel,  and  it  is,  but  just 
such  'put-up  jobs'  are  continually  going  the  rounds 
of  the  camps. 

"Last  winter  a  miner  on  Birch  creek  was  told  of 
some  terrible  thing  that  had  happened  in  Circle  City, 
closely  relating  to  his  affairs.  He  inmiediately  left 
oflf  panning  out  gold  to  make  a  forced  tramp  to  tow., 
through  deep  snow,  and  thermometer  40  degrees  l>e- 
low  zero — only  to  find  it  a  put-up  job.  Many  of  the 
jokes  are  harmless,  the  work  of  loafers  around  sa- 
loons." 

.        MRS.  HEALY'S  MINE. 

Opposite  Klondyke  river,  in  the  rocky  cliflfs  that 
project  into  the  Yukon,  is  the  pioneer  quartz  mine  of 


I 


I:. 


J;,. 


IM     OFFICIAL  aUIDB  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 

the  country.  At  this  point  what  is  known  as  the  great 
copper  belt  crosses  the  river,  and  §  year  or  two  ago 
Capt.  Healy  of  the  North  American  Transportation 
and  Trading  company  made  a  location  on  a  ledge 
after  a  very  superficial  examination  of  it.  Quartz 
mines  were  held  in  no  esteem  at  that  time,  and  after 
a  little  while  he  forgot  the  circumstance  and  let  the 
time  expire  that  is  allowed  by  law  for  working  the  first 
assessment.  The  next  season  he  was  making  a  trip 
on  the  company's  boat  to  Sixty^Mile,  in  company 
with  Mrs.  Healy,  when  in  passing  the  place  he  recalled 
the  circumstances  and  stopped  to  take  another  look 
at  it. 

"It's  good-looking  rock,"  said  the  captai,n,  "but  I 
don't  think  I  will  bother  with  it.  There  will  be  plenty 
of  time  for  considering  quartz." 

"Aren't  you  going  to  claim  it?*'  asked  Mrs.  Healy. 

"No,  I  don't  care  to  bother  with  it — not  now." 

"If  you  don't  want  it  I  do.  I  will  locate  it  and  pay 
for  the  assessment  work." 

"Well,  it's  your  mine  then." 

And  so  Mrs.  Healy  re-located  it  and  they  set  a  man 
to  work  out  the  first  assessment,  and  took  samples  of 
the  ore.  Mrs.  Healy  named  it  the  Four- Leaf  Clover, 
so  if  anyone  sees  it  quoted  in  the  mining  exchanges, 
away  up  pretty  high,  he  may  know  it  is  her  mine. 

They  gave  the  samples  to  the  assayer  and  they  show 
from  $8  to  $i6  to  the  ton  in  gold,  in  addition  to  a 
good  percentage  in  copper.  The  vein  is  eighty  feet 
wide.  ' 

EVIDENCE  OF  COAL. 


In  all  the  country  from  the  Hootalinqua  to  the  Yu- 
kon flats  is  much  evidence  of  the  existence  of  coal. 
A  little  work  has  been  done  in  developing  a  deposit 


,;i-i'^''*'-i.s^T?tv,'^W!fi 


r  ■•  I 


n 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


Iff 


^ 


near  Five  Finger  rapids,  but  as  yet  it  is  too  remote 
from  any  settlement  to  find  a  market,  even  if  it  lias 
proved  to  be  of  good  quality.  Wood  is  so  plentiful 
adjacent  to  all  the  towns  of  the  interior  that  no  one 
has  thought  it  worth  while  to  oflFer  any  other  fuel. 
There  is  little  doubt  that  coal  will  be  found  in  abund- 
ance when  there  arises  a  demand  for  it. 

-■  ;   "    1.        ;■.:•■■  ',-■-• 

WOMEN  WHO  DARE. 

Rev.  Father  Stippeck,  who  has  been  stationed  at 
Circle  City  for  years,  arrived  in  Chicago,  shortly 
ago,  and  talking  of  the  hardships  of  travel  in  Alaska 
yiesterday  he  strongly  advocated  the  Dyea  route.  He 
says  those  who  go  round  by  way  of  St.  Michael's  and 
up  the  Yukon  will  find  the  trip  will  take  much  longer 
than  they  expect.  Father  Stippeck  will  return  to 
Alaska  in  a  few  days,  taking  with  him  five  sisters. 
The  trip  will  take  from  two  to  three  months. 

Thirteen  women  left  Seattle  on  the  last  steamer 
for  Alaska  and  more  are  preparing  to  go.  Chicago 
will  be  well  represented  in  this  respect,  although 
transportation  agents  do  not  look  with  favor  upon 
women  and  discourage  them  in  every  way  possible. 
Mrs,  Hilmer  Chase,  wife  of  the  manager  of  the  Cook 
excursionists,  will  accompany  her  husband  to  Daw- 
son and  will  spend  the  winter  there.  Others  who  have 
declared  their  intention  to  seek  dame  fortune  in  the 
Alaska  El  Dorado  are  Miss  I'auline  Kellogg  of  West 
Congress  street,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Romney  of  Windsor  Park 
and  Mrs.  Romley.  The  latter  admits  having  passed 
the  half  century  mark,  but  she  is  full  of  life  and  en- 
ergy and  willing  to  face  any  kind  of  hardship  to  gain 
an  opportunity  to  get  rich  in  a  few  months. 


I 


Fii^ 


t' 


168     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 


THE  BARNEY 


BARNATO  OF  THE  KLON- 
DYKE. 


Clarence  J.  Berry  is  the  Barney  Barnato  of  the 
Klondyke.  He  took  $130,000  from  the  top  dirt  of 
one  of  his  claims  in  five  months.  He  kept  it  all  but 
$22,000,  which  he  paid  to  his  miners.  He  did  not  have 
to  give  his  wife  even  so  much  as  pin  money.  She  had 
a  pan  of  her  own.  She  would  occasionally  get  time 
from  her  sewing  and  mending  to  drop  around  to  the 
dump.  She  lifted  out  $io,oo<j  or  so  in  her  spare  mo- 
ments. This  was  her  amusement  in  the  strangest 
year's  honeymoon  that  is  recorded.  The  two  started 
fifteen  months  ago  as  bride  and  groom.  She  was  the 
devoted  sweetheart  of  a  poor  Fresno  farmer.  They 
have  returned  to  San  Francisco  with  all  kinds  of  gold 
dust,  nuggets  and  coin.  They  have  millions  in  sight, 
and  behind  the  millions  is  a  pretty  romance. 

FACED  THE  DANGERS. 

Berryi  was  a  fruit  raiser  in  the  Southern  part  of  Cal- 
ifornia. He  did  not  have  any  money.  There  was  no 
particular  prospect  that  he  would  ever  have  any.  He 
saw  a  life  of  hard  plodding  for  a  bare  living.  There 
was  no  opportunity  at  home  for  getting  ahead,  and, 
like  other  men  of  the  far  West,  he  only  dreamed  of  the 
day  when  he  would  nake  a  strike  and  get  his  million. 
This  was  three  years  ago.  There  had  then  come  down 
from  the  frozen  lands  of  Alaska  wonderful  stories  of 
rewards  for  men  brave  enough  to  nm  a  fierce  ride 
with  death  from  starvation  and  cold.  He  had  nothing 
to  lose  and  all  to  ^'ain.  He  concluded  to  face  the  dan- 
gers. His  capital  was  $40.  He  proposed  to  risk  it 
all — not  very  much  to  him  now,  but  a  mighty  sight 
three  years  ago.    It  took  all  but  $5  to  get  him  to  Ju- 


."■■i 


"^'I^S 


■M;  ■','-. 


.,-rti 


.-,.4^. 


Sf.".i. 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  or  Al^ASKA. 


1» 


neau.  He  had  two  big  arms,  the  physique  of  a  giant 
and  the  courage  of  an  explorer.  Prcsenling  all  these 
as  his  only  collaterals,  he  managed  to  squeeze  a  loan 
of  $60  from  a  man  who  was  afraid  to  go  with  him, 
but  w^s  willing  to  risk  a  little  in  return  for  a  promise 
to  pay  back  the  advance  at  a  fabulous  rate  of  interest. 

rUSHING  ONWARD. 

Juneau  was  alive  with  men  three  years  ago  who 
had  heard  from  the  Indians  the  yarns  of  gold  without 
iimit.  The  Indians  brought  samples  of  the  rock  and 
sand  and  did  well  in  trading  them.  A  party  of  forty 
men  banded  to  go  back  with  the  Indians,  Berry  was 
one  of  the  forty.  Each  had  an  outfit — a  year's  mess 
of  frozen  meat  and  furs.  It  was  early  spring  when 
this  first  batch  of  prospectors  started  out  over  the 
mountains,  and  the  snow  was  as  deep  as  the  cuts  in 
the  sides  of  tic  hills.  The  natives  packed  the  stuff 
to  the  top  of  the  Chilkoot  pass.  It  was  life  and  death 
every  day.  The  men  were  left  one  by  one  along  the 
cHlTs. 

WANTED  GOLD. 

The  timid  turned  back.  The  whole  outfit  of  sup- 
plies went  down  in  Lake  Bennett.  The  forty  men 
had  dwindled  to  three — Berry  and  two  others.  The 
others  chose  to  make  the  return  trip  for  more  food. 
Berry  wanted  gold.  He  borrowed  a  chunk  of  bacon 
and  pushed  on.  He  reached  Forty-Mile  creek  within 
a  month.  There  was  not  a  cent  in  his  pocket.  The 
single  chance  for  him  was  work  u  ith  tlu^se  more  pros- 
perous. His  pay  was  $100  a  month.  It  was  not 
enough,  and,  looking  for  better  pay,  he  drifted  from 
one  end  of  the  gulch  to  the  other,  always  keeping  his 
shrewd  eye  open  for  a  chance  to  fix  a  claim  of  his 


-".  if 


UteSt-.'-JT  ■''•■ 


-T'-nWW" 


170 


v^FFICIAL  aUTDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 


own.     Tlicre  was  a  slump  in   the  prospects  of  the 
district  and  he  cuncliulcd  to  go  back  to  the  world. 

VOR  THE  WOMAN  HE  LOVED. 

The  slump  was  not  the  only  reason.  There  was  a 
young  woman  hack  in  l'>esno  who  had  promised  to 
be  his  wife.  Ik-rry  came  from  the  hidden  world  with- 
out injury  and  Miss  Ethel  D.  Bush  kept  her  pledge. 
The>i  were  married. 

Berry  told  his  bride  about  the  possibilities  of  Alas- 
ka. She  was  a  girl  of  the  mountains.  She  said  she 
had  noi  married  him  to  be  a  drawback,  but  a  com- 
panion. If  he  intended  or  wanted  to  go  back  to  the 
El  Dorado,  she  proposed  to  go  with  him.  She  rea- 
soned that  he  would  do  better  to  have  her  at  his  side. 
His  pictures  of  the  dangers  and  the  hardships  had  no 
effect  upon  her.  It  was  her  duty  to  face  as  much  as 
he  was  willing  to  face.  They  both  decided  it  was 
worth  the  try — success  at  a  bound  rather  than  years 
of  common  toil.  Berry  declared  he  knew  exactly 
where  he  could  find  a  fortune.  Mrs.  Berry  convinced 
him  that  she  would  be  worth  more  to  him  in  his  ven- 
ture than  any  man  that  ever  lived,  furthermore,  the 
trip  would  be  a  bridal  tour  which  would  certainly  be 
new  and  far  from  the  beaten  tracks  of  sighing  lovers. 


A  REMARKABLE  BRIDAL  TRIP. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berry  reached  Juneau  fifteen  months 
ago.  They  had  but  little  capital,  but  they  had  two 
hearts  that  were  full  of  determination.  They  took  the 
boat  to  Dyea,  the  head  of  navigation.  The  rest  of 
the  distance — and  distances  in  Alaska  are  long — was 
made  behind  a  team  of  dogs.  They  slept  under  a  tent 
on  beds  of  boughs.    Mrs.  Berry  wore  garn^ents  which 


•?', 


Ill 


u. 


*,.> 


1  ' 


'r.]v  rr^'w^ri^?; 


;'. 


;:<■ 


X 


.i. 


y. 


Hi 

u 

a 

< 

a: 


I 


AND  THE  OOI.n  FI15IiDS  OF  ALASKA. 


resembled  very  niucli  those  of  her  husband.  Tliey 
came  over  her  feet  hkc  old-fashioned  sandals,  and  did 
not  stop  at  her  knees.  They  were  made  of  seal  fur, 
witli  the  Kir  inside.  She  pulled  gum  boots  over  these. 
Mcr  skirts  were  very  short.  Her  feet  were  in  moc- 
casins, and  over  her  shoulders  was  a  fur  robe.  The 
hood  was  of  bearskin.  This  all  made  a  very  heavy 
f:(annent,  but  she  heroically  trudged  along  with  her 
husband,  averagitj^?;  about  fifteen  miles  each  davw 
They  reached  Forty-Mile  creek  a  year  ago  in  June, 
three  months  after  they  were  married.  They  called 
it  their  wedding  trip. 


.1 


LIKE  A  FAIRY  TALE. 

Klondylve  was  still  a  good  way  oflf,  and  it  was 
thought  at  first  that  the  claims  closer  at  hand  would 
pay.  One  day  a  miner  came  tearing  into  the  settle- 
ment with  most  wonderful  tales  of  the  region  further 
on.  His  descriptions  were  like  fairy  tales  from  "Ara- 
bian Nights" — accounts  fitting  acairately  the  scenes 
in  spectacular  plays,  where  the  nymph  or  queen  of 
fancy  latid  bids  her  slaves  to  pick  up  chunks  of  gold 
as  big  as  the  crown  of  a  hat.  Rerry  told  the  tale  to  his 
wife.  She  sai<l  she  would  stay  at  the  post  while  he 
went  to  the  front.  There  was  no  rest  that  night  in 
the  camp.  Men  were  rushing  out  pellmell,  l)ent  on 
nothing  but  getting  first  into  the  valley  of  the  Klon- 
dvke  and  establishing  claims.  Mrs.  Berry  worked 
with  her  husband  with  might  and  main,  and  before 
daylight  he  was  on  the  road  over  the  pass.  There 
were  fifty  long  miles  between  him  and  fortime,  anrl 
he  worked  without  sleep  or  rest  to  beat  the  great 
field  which  .started  with  him.  He  made  the  track  in 
two  days.     He  was  among  the  first  in.     He  staked 


1/ 


174     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

claim  40,  above  the  Discovery,  which  means  that  his 
property  was  the  fortieth  one  above  tlie  first  Alad- 
(Hn.  It  was  agreed  that  each  claim  should  have  500 
feet  on  the  river — the  Bonanza.  This  was  the  be- 
ginninj::  oi  BenVs  fortime.  He  then  began  to  trade 
for  interests  in  other  sites.  He  secured  a  share  in 
three  of  the  best  on  El  Dorado  creek.  There  is  no 
one  living  who  can  tell  how  much  iliis  property  is 
worth.  It  has  only  been  worked  in  the  crudest  way, 
yet  five  months  netted  him  enough  to  make  him  a  rich 
man  the  rest  of  his  life.  There  are  untold  and  ines- 
timable millions  where  the  small  sum  from  the  top 
was  taken. 


THE  GOLDEN  POT. 

Berry  wanted  to  bring  his  bride  to  him  from  the 
settlement  and  he  procet-ded  to  build  lii.r^^elf  a  house, 
it  was  made  of  logs.  He  built  it  solid  and  tlien 
sawed  holes  for  the  doors  and  windows.  This  was 
late  last  sunnner.  The  tlR-rmometor  was  getting  ac- 
customed to  standing  at  40  degrees  below  zero  day  in 
and  out.  Mrs.  Berry  tru<lged  through  the  nineteen 
miles  of  hard  snow  and  took  her  place  in  the  hut 
with  her  husband.  There  was  no  ll(X)r,  but  the  snow 
bank.  It  cost  the  couple  $300  a  thoui;and  feet  to 
get  firewood  hauled  an<l  there  was  but  little  chance 
to  use  fuel  save  to  thaw  out  the  moose  and  caribou 
which  the  Indiar.s  jieddled.  The  bride  an<l  groom 
kept  warm  by  cuddling — a  thing  somewhat  unknown 
in  civilized  communities,  but  absolutely  necessary 
with  the  mercury  tlisappearing  in  the  bulb,  and  wood 
worth  its  weight  in  gold.  They  endured  all  the  hard- 
ships without  complaining,  since  by  this  time  they 
knew  they  had  reached  the  golden  pot  at  the  tip  of 
the  rainbow. 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


$io.oa)  PIN  MONEY. 

Mr.  Berry  has  taken  a  trip  with  his  wife  to 
see  the  farm  where  he  used  to  raise  plums  and 
peaches.  He  is  going  to  buy  the  place,  just  for  mem- 
ory's sake.  Mrs.  Berry  wants  it.  She  will  live  there 
the  rest  of  her  life.  The  pin  mo^^ey  she  panned  out 
— ^$10,000 — is  to  go  for  a  new  house.  She  has  had 
enough  of  the  Klondyke.  llcr  new  king  and  the 
new  gold  king  of  the  coast  will  go  back  in  the  spring. 
There  is  no  chance  that  his  property  will  be  jumped 
or  robbed.  He  has  left  it  in  trusted  hands.  Berry 
talks  in  immense  figures.  It  is  possible  to  deduct 
half  as  a  tribute  to  blinded  enthusiasm,  and  he  will 
then  have  enough  to  rate  him  among  the  very  richest 
men  of  the  world. 


ir  T 


WORTH  $1,000,000  A  MONTH. 

Berry  gives  all  the  credit  of  his  fortune  to  his  young 
wife,  li  was  possible  for  her  to  have  kept  him  at 
home,  after  the  first  trip.  She  told  him  to  return — 
and  she  returned  with  him.  It  was  an  exhibition  of 
rare  courage,  but  rare  courage  rarely  fails.  The  wed- 
ding trip  lasted  about  fifteen  months.  Berry  says  it 
was  worth  $i,aoo,tMo  a  month.  This  estimate  is  one 
measured  in  cold  casli — not  sentiment. 

$595  FROM  A  SINGLE  PAN. 

Tl»i  new  gold  king  and  queen  made  the  first  strike 
of  a  year  ago  in  November.  They  were  working 
along  El  Dorado  creek,  a  l>ranch  of 'the  Bonanza, 
which  empties  into  the  Klondyke  about  two  miles 
above  Dawson  City.  Tto^eir  site-  was  the  fifth  one  above 
where  the  first  discoven,'  had  been  made  in  this  par- 
ticular region.     It  took  nearly  a  month  to  get  into 


m     OFFICIAL  QUIDS  TO  THS  KLONDTKE  COXWTRT 

paying  dirt,  but  when  the  vein  was  opened  it  was 
simply  awful.  The  first  prospect  panned  $2  and  $3 
to  the  pan.  It  grew  suddenly  to  $25  and  $50  a  pan, 
and  kept  increasing.  It  seemed  they  had  tapped  a 
mint,  and  one  day  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berry  gathered  no 
less  than  $595  from  a  single  pan  of  earth.  This  they 
have  saved  in  a  sack  by  itself,  and  the  people  who  have 
listened  to  the  strange  stories  of  the  young  man  and 
his  young  wife  have  no  fear  that  they  liave  been 
mistaken.  They  have  left  no  room  to  think  they  are 
not  telling  the  truth — truth  which  .seems  probable  in 
the  face  of  sacks  and  lumps  of  gold  which  they  have 
not  yet  had  time  to  send  to  market.  They  have  it 
piled  up  in  their  rooms  in  the  hotel  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

GAISFORD'S  GOOD  FORTUNE. 

Heart-broken  by  a  wayward  wife,  a  Tacoma  bar- 
ber eighteen  months  ago  buried  himself  from  the 
world  in  Alaska,  and  to-day  is  soic  owner  of  a  Klon- 
dyke  placer  valued  at  $1,000,000. 

Already  the  barber  has  scraped  $50,000  out  of  his 
claim,  and  has  been  at  work  on  it  only  a  few  days. 

All  his  people  live  here,  and  they  rejoice  exceed- 
ingly at  Ulry  Gaisford's  good  fortune. 

Gaisford  has  always  been  industrious,  and,  although 
his  barber  shop  was  on  a  side  street,  he  managed  to 
make  a  good  living,  and  saved  enough  to  warrant  him 
in  getting  married. 

Then  his  troubles  began;  his  wife  was  untrue,  and 
disgraced  him  in  the  eyes  of  his  people. 

When  he  could  no  longer  stand  the  humiliation 
caused  by  her  conduct,  he  told  her  to  get  a  divorce, 
or  else  he  would,  as  he  had  positive  pu>of  of  her  un- 
faithfulness. 


AND  THE  aOLD  riELDB  OF  ALASKA. 


ITT 


She  had  no  funds,  and  he  furnished  the  money  him- 
self with  which  to  secure  a  legal  separation. 

DRIVEN  TO  WEALTH. 

Then  Ulry  left  the  woman  who  had  wrecked  his 
life  to  continue  her  wayward  career  and  he  hurried 
away  to  Alaska,  not  caring  where  he  went  so  long 
as  he  could  be  away  from  those  who  knew  of  his  do- 
mestic troubles. 

But  ill-luck  followed  Ulry,  even  into  tlie  wilds  of 
Alaska,  for  while  he  and  his  companions  were  nav- 
igating the  Pelly  rive,  they  were  shipwrecked  and 
lost  all  their  provisions  and  clothing.  They  had  ab- 
solutely nothing  left,  aside  from  tlie  clothes  they  had 
on  their  backs. 

All  became  disheartened  except  Ulry,  and  returned 
to  civilization. 

Ulry  pressed  on. 

For  a  time  he  worked  in  a  sawmill,  and  last  winter 
he  set  up  a  httle  barber  shop  in  Circle  City,  and  by 
his  thrift  succeeded  in  saving  a  little  money. 

When  the  spring  of  i8(X)  opened  he  turned  his  hand 
to  logging  on  the  Yukon,  and  while  thus  engaged 
left  his  logs  for  a  few  days  to  file  a  claim  on  the  Klon- 
dyke.  l^st  fall  he  went  into  the  new  K!  Dorado  and 
worked  industriously  througli  the  winter,  with  the  re- 
sult that  he  had  $50,000  in  nuggets  by  last  June. 

AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 

There  is  a  romance  connected  with  the  history  of 
Joseph  Laduc,  the  returned  Klondyke  millionaire 
miner.  Many  years  ago  he  became  enamored  of  Miss 
Anna  Mason,  the  charming  daughter  of  prosperous 
parents,  residing  at  Schuyler  Falls,  Clinton  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  they  were  engaged  to  be  married. 


173     OFFICIAL  OUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 

The  parents  of  the  young  woman  objected  on  ac- 
count of  I^duc's  lack  of  financia)  resources,  and  he 
went  out  to  the  Black  Hills  during  the  mining  craze 
in  that  region,  lie  was  lucky  and  struck  it  rich. 
He  corresponjjed  with  his  sweetheart,  and  at  last  he 
thought  he  had  enough  money  to  return  and  claim 
his  bride.  Leaving  the  mines,  lie  tarried  at  Dead- 
wood,  was  enticed  into  a  gambling  game,  and  his 
fortune  passed  into  the  pockets  of  sharpers.  He  wrote 
his  affiancetl  and  told  her  the  facts,  adding  that  he  was 
going  to  Alaska  to  make  another  fortune  and  hoped 
she  would  wait  for  him.  Correspondence  was  kept 
up  and  the  young  woman  remained  constant  to  her 
faithful  and  adventurous  lover.  When  he  visited  his 
old  home  two  years  ago  he  was  already  prosperous, 
but  he  was  not  satisfied  with  his  accumulations,  and 
it  was  decided  to  postpone  the  marriage  awhile  longer. 

He  returned  to  his  sawmill  and  trading  post  on  the 
Yukon,  and  when  the  rich  gold  discoveries  there 
brought  him  wealtli  beyond  what  he  had  dreamed  of, 
he  shaped  matters  as  soon  as  possible  to  return  and 
fulfill  his  long  enga^' nunt.  The  parents  arc  satis- 
iiM  with  his  worldly  prospects  at  last,  and  the  wed- 
ding was  celebrated  at  Schuyier  I'"alls  lately.  That 
(|uitt  hamlet  was  in  a  fever  of  excitement  over  the 
nuptials  which  crowned  this  romance  ui  real  life. 

TWO  dal;ntle.ss  women. 

Undaunted  by  the  lateness  of  the  season  or  of  the 
perilous  journey  incident  to  reaching  the  gold  fields 
of  Alaska,  Mrs.  M.  L.  1).  Keiser  of  Jacksonville,  111., 
and  her  niece,  Miss  Georgie  Osborne  of  the  same  city^ 
will  leave  Chicago  for  the  Klondyke  regions.  Ac- 
companied by  a  friend,  W.  D.  Mitchell,  also  of  Jack- 


AND  THE  GOLD  Ii^BLDS  OP  ALASKA. 


m 


sonville,  the  two  women  will  travel  to  Seattle,  Wash., 
taking^  the  evening  train  of  the  Chicago  and  North- 
western road  to  Omaha,  where  a  short  stop  will  be 
made.  Once  in  Seattle,  they  will  make  another  stop 
of  a  week  and  then  start  for  the  Chilkoot  pass. 

Mrs.  Kciscr  is  well  known  in  Chicago.  Capt.  John 
Keiser  of  St.  Louis  is  her  brother.  She  has  traveled 
around  the  world  and  is  accustomed  to  mountain 
climbing  and  especially  to  mountains  of  the  glacier 
type.  She  is  a  strong,  healthy-looking  woman,  while 
Miss  Osborne  is  delicate,  and  does  not  look  robust 
enough  to  withstand  the  hardships  of  the  trip. 


.5 


FIRST  OVER  THE  CHILKOOT. 

To  Mrs.  Keiser  and  her  niece,  will,  it  is  more  than 
probable,  belong  the  honor  of  having  been  the  first 
women  to  traverse  the  Chilkoot  pass  almost  unat- 
tended. Although  both  r 'e  essentially  feminine  in 
tastes  and  habits,  they  do  not  fear  to  undertake  the 
journey,  which  abounds  in  hardships  which  many  men 
would  fear  to  undergo. 

Leaving  Chicago,  they  will  stop  in  (^maha  for  two 
days.  They  will  in  Seattle  be  joined  by  Mr.  Mitchell. 
The  majority  of  their  supplirs  have  been  purchased 
and  nothing  but  two  boats  and  a  sled  will  be  bought 
in  Seattle. 

They  visited  a  number  of  the  stores  in  Chicago, 
and  with  the  advice  of  friends  secured  tlirir  outfits. 
After  leaving  Seattle  they  will  exchange  their  dainty 
tail(^i-madc  traveling  suits  for  a  garb  suitabk  for  the 
regions  they  expect  to  travcrM',  and  the  garments  of 
civilization  will  be  left  behind  for  a  year  at  least.  They 
will  leave  their  dresses  in  Seattle,  to  be  called  for 
after  they  have  "struck  it  rich."  # 


180     OFFICIAL  aUIDB  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

In  an  interview  Mrs.  Keiser  and  her  niece  said 
they  would  traverse  the  Chilkoot  pass  on  foot  and  at 
the  end  of  the  journey  over  the  snow  and  ice  taice 
boats  down  Lake  Linderrnan  and  thence  to  the  famous 
Yukon.  They  will  shoot  the  rapids  and  encounter 
en  route  many  of  the  dangers  of  mountam  climbing. 
The  boats  which  they  will  use  are  to  be  built  by  the 
guide  and  courier  who  will  accompany  them.  Mr. 
Mitchell's  wife  was  to  have  joined  the  party,  but  her 
mother,  Mrs.  Carter  of  Jacksonville,  objects  to  her 
going.  Mr.  Mitchell  expects  to  do  the  cooking  and 
build  the  log  cabin  after  they  have  reached  the  de- 
sired spot. 


t 


I 


GOLD  IS  WHAT  THEY  WANT. 

With  the  exception  of  his  services  the  women  will 
look  after  tlicniselves.  Both  are  by  no  means  ig- 
norant of  the  hardships  which  await  them.  Mrs. 
Keiser  says  she  is  going  both  for  the  trip  and  in  the 
hope  of  striking  a  rich  mine.  Gold  is  what  they  want, 
she  says,  and  if  hard  work  and  plenty  of  courage  will 
secure  it  they  will  return  to  the  United  States  wealthy 
women.  « 

"Of  course  it  will  be  hard,"  said  Miss  Osborne  in 
discussing  her  trip  last  evening,  "but  we  are  prepared 
for  whatever  may  happen  and  expect  to  get  along  all 
right.  Our  outfit  will  include  everything  considered 
necessary  for  the  trip  and  we  are  both  pretty  cour- 
ageous. We  are  going  out  in  the  hope  of  getting 
rich,  and  do  not  expect  any  easy  time.  Shall  we 
mine  ourselves?  Well,  that  is  as  it  may  be,  but  we 
expect  to  do  so,  as  we  have  the  tools  with  us.  I  do 
not  see  why  we  should  not.  I  am  looking  for  gold, 
and  the  only  way  to  get  it  is  to  work.    No,  I  am  not 


lig 


'•A(l«>'»»»'.W/'"y(»;S"!"',''»^    *■'■'>.■;• 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA.  IH 

afraid  of  the  journey,  and  am  anxious  to  be  oflF." 

AN  ALPINE  CLIMBER. 

"I  do  not  want  the  papers  to  make  us  out  women 
who  arc  seeking  notoriety,"  said  Mrs.  Keiscr.  We 
are  going  to  Alaska  with  the  idea  of  striking  gold.  I 
think  anyone  foolish  not  to  take  at  least  $i,ooq  with 
him,  so  that  if  he  does  not  strike  gold  he  will  be  able 
to  return  and  still  live.  We  shall  not  be  back  before 
June  at  least,  and  maybe  not  then.  1  have  traveled 
around  the  world  and  have  climbed  the  Alps,  so  know 
something  of  what  to  expect.  I  would  much  rather 
nothing  was  said  about  the  matter.  We  both  live  in 
Jack.sonville,  and  have  many  letters  from  well-known 
men  in  this  country." 

Mrs.  Keiser  is  about  40  years  old,  and  is  considered 
wealthy  by  her  friends.  She  is  refined  in  appearance 
and  maimers  and  is  well  educated.  She  is  still  con- 
sidered a  handsome  woman.  Miss  Osborne  is  a  slen- 
der, dark-eyed  girl  of  12  y(;ars,  pretty  and  graceful, 
and  seems  haidly  to  possess  a  physi(|ue  sufficiently 
hardy  to  withstand  the  rigors  of  the  Klondyke. 


BLOOMERS  AND  HEAVY  SKIRTS. 

The  outfit  which  the  women  have  secured  is  com- 
plete. They  have  been  lavish  and  thoughtful.  The 
warmest  and  heaviest  underwear  possible  has  bet  n  got- 
ten, together  with  footwear  exceptionally  h<'avy  and 
strong.  Thick  woolen  hosiery  and  gloves,  leggings 
and  furs,  along  with  fur  hoods  and  sleeping  bags  of 
heavy  and  close  canvas  lined  with  sheepskin  and  well 
padded  are  contained  in  the  collection.  Blankets  of 
the  best  and  heaviest  material  have  been  provided. 
Their  outer  costumes  will  consist  of  bodices,  bloom- 


^f'-m^m 


1 


182     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKB  COUNTRY 

ers  and  heavy  skirls  of  brown  cloth  well  lined  and 
topped  by  double-breasted  Eton  jackets  of  thick  ma- 
terial. Their  arms  will  be  covered  by  two  extra  pairs 
of  well-lined  sleeves,  besides  the  outer  coat  and  sweat- 
er. The  question  of  getting  into  the  sweaters  is  caus- 
ing the  women  some  worry,  but  Mrs.  Keiser  says  they 
will  come  in  handy  and  be  a  great  comfort. 

*T  presume  that  we  will  have  no  trouble  with  them,'* 
she  said,  "and  I  believe  the;'  are  the  correct  articles 
to  take  along.  We  will  be  away  from  society  and 
what  we  wear  no  one  will  make  remarks  about." 

Miss  Osborne  expressed  herself  as  being  in  com- 
plete ignorance  in  regard  to  the  mode  of  wearing  a 
Chicago  sweater,  but  she  says  they  will  be  warm  and 
bring  comfort,  antl  that  is  all  she  wants. 

"We  will  wear  woolen  garments  and  short  skirts — 
no  frills  about  them,  you  know,"  she  said  with  a  smile. 
"We  would  put  on  our  short  dresses  right  here  in  Chi- 
cago, but  we  do  not  want  to  be  pointed  out  as  the  two 
women  who  are  going  to  dig  for  gold.  We  have  1,000 
pounds  of  provisions  lor  each  member  of  the  party, 
which  we  expect  will  last  us  a  year.  1  do  not  think 
we  will  be  homesick  and  I  hope  to  return  to  Chicago 
in  good  health  and  with  a  good  supply  of  the  treasure 
of  the  Yukon." 


CHAPTKR  VI. 

Life  at  Dawson  City. 

A  Typical  Mining-  Town — What. it  Costs  to  Live — A 
Store  Price  List — The  Price  of  Luxuries — Bloom- 
ers Not  VVantetl — Cupid  Smiles  on  Bridget — Where 
the  Mosquito  Hunts — Capt.  llealy's  Views — To  the 
Klondyke  on  a  Wheel — As  a  Means  of  Transport — 
Round  About  Dawson — Pay  Dirt  at  Eldorado — 
$50c:),0(X)  for  500  feet^ — A  Big  Nugget — Present 
Dangers — Wages  and  Outlay — (ietting  Rich  in  a 
Hurry — In  Behalf  of  Law  and  Order — Need  of  (Jut- 
side  Communication — Now  for  a  Loan  Agency — 
What  Miners  Wear — Strange  Mining  Methods — 
How  the  Gold  Is  Distinguisheil — Work  for  All — 
Scurvv  the  Chief  Trouble. 


This  newly  established  town  of  shacks,  log  cabins 
and  would-be  millionaires,  is  situated  on  the  Klon- 
dyke river,  where  it  empties  into  the  Yukon,  and 
promises  to  be  one  of  the  chief  placer  gold-mining 
camps  of  the  world. 

Inspector  Strickland  of  the  Canadian  mounted  po- 
lice, who  came  down  from  Alaska  on  the  Portlaml, 
says: 

"When  I  left  Dawson  City  there  were  800  claims 
staked  out.  We  can  safely  say  tiiat  there  was  about 
$1,500,000  in  gold  mined  last  winter.  The  wages  in 
the  mines  were  $15  a  day,  and  the  sawmill  paid  la- 
borciis  ^10  a  day. 


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IM     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

"The  claims  now  staked  out  will  afford  employ- 
ment to  about  5,000  men,  I  believe.  If  a  man  is 
strong,  healthy  and  wants  work  he  can  find  employ- 
ment at  good  wages.  Several  men  worked  on  an 
interest,  or  what  is  termed  a  "lay,"  and  during  the 
winter  realized  $5,000  to  $10,000  each.  The  mines  are 
thirty-five  to  100  miles  from  the  Alaska  boundary." 

WHAT  IT  COSTS  TO  LIVE. 

Living  is  high  now,  as  may  be  seen  from  these  quota- 
tions of  prices:  Flour,  $12  per  hundredweight.  Fol- 
lowing are  prices  per  pound :  Moose  ham,  $1 ;  caribou 
meat,  65  cents;  beans,  10;  rice,  25;  sugar,  25;  bacon, 
40;  potatoes,  25;  turnips,  15;  coffee,  50;  dried  fruits, 
35;  tea,  $1;  tobacco,  $1.50;  butter,  a  roll,  $1.50;  eggs, 
a  dozen,  $1.50;  salmon,  ea^h,  $1  to  $1.50;  canned 
fruits,  50  cents;  canned  meats,  75;  liquors,  per  drink, 
50;  shovels,  $2,50;  picks,  $5;  coal  oil,  per  gallon,  $1; 
overalls,  $1.50;  underwear,  per  suit,  $5  to  $7.50;  shoes, 
$5;  rubber  boots,  $10  to  $15. 

Miners  v^hc  reach  here  do  not  act  like  people  who 
have  suddenly  jumped  from  poverty  to  comparative 
wealth.  They  are  very  level  headed.  They  go  to  the 
best  hotels  and  live  on  the  fat  of  the  land,  but  they 
do  not  throw  money  away,  and  no  one  starts  in  to 
paint  the  town  red.  '       •  ' 

They  have  to  work  so  hard  that  they  appreciate 
the  value  of  money.  What  they  delight  in  most  are 
theaters  and  other  amusements.  They  say  no  one 
knows  how  to  enjoy  these  if  he  has  not  spent  a  year 
in  Alaska.  Three-quarters  of  the  miners  will  return 
in  the  spring,  when  they  are  well  rested. 


I! 


fV 


-v,*i».i^*t*r.'»M!f  **-*  • 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIBLDS  OF  AUA.SKA.  m 

A  STORE  PRICE  LIST. 

To  give  an  accurate  idea  of  tlie  cost  of  living  in 
Dawson  City,  the  pricr  list  of  a  general  store  there  is 
herewith  given : 

Flour,  per  lo  pounds $12.00 

Moose  ham,  per  pound 1 .00 

Caribou  meat,  per  pound ,       .65 

Beans,  per  pound lo 

Rice,  per  pound 25 

Sugar,  per  pound 25 

Bacon,  per  pound 40 

Butter,  per  roll 1.50 

Eggs,  per  dozen 1.50 

Better  eggs,  per  dozen 2.00 

Salmon,  each $1  to     1.50 

Potatoes,  per  pound 25 

Turnips,  per  pound 15 

Tea,  per  pound i  .00 

Coffee,  per  pound 50 

Dried  fruits,  per  pound 35 

Canned  fruits 50 

Canned  meats 75 

Lemons,  each 20 

Oranges,  each 50 

Tobacco,  per  pound 1.50 

Liquors,  per  drink 50 

Shovels 2.50 

Picks 5.00 

Coal  oil,  per  gallon r.oo 

Overalls 1.50 

Undervrear,  per  suit $5  to     7.50 

Shoes  5.00 

Rubber  boots $10  to  15.00 

THE  PRICE  OF  LUXURIES. 

Drinks  are  50  cents  up  there,  and  more  than  20,000 
gallons  of  whisky  are  being  taken  in.  Returned 
miners  say  that  when  they  left,  some  of  the  saloons 


186     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 


p. 


were  taking  in  $i,ooo  to  $2,000  a  day.  A  hair  cut 
costs  $1. 

There  are  several  pubHc  resorts  in  Dawson — each 
with  a  bar  in  front,  gambling  tables  in  the  rear  and 
a  dancing  floor  in  the  middle.  Yukon  has  struck  the 
typical  early  mining  camp  pace.  Faro  and  poker  are 
the  favorite  means  for  parting  with  gold  dust.  One 
hears  of  games  with  $20  ante  and  $50  to  call  blind. 
They  don't  have  money  in  circulation. 

"There  is  no  such  thing  as  money.  When  you  go  in 
just  leave  your  sack  at  the  bar  and  say,  'Give  me  five 
hundred'  or  'Give  me  a  thousand,'  and  get  your 
chips,"  explained  a  Yukoner.  "Then  if  you  lose  you 
can  call  for  what  you  want,  and  it's  just  put  down,  and 
when  you  get  through  they  weigh  out  what  you  owe. 
I  have  seen  fellows  go  in  with  $50,000  they  had 
cleaned  up  and  go  out  with  an  empty  sack  and  go  to 
work  again." 


JOSEPH   LA   DUE  S  HOME. 


:t,..,..;^.:,     ,.   ^,, 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


BLOOMERS  NOT  WANTED. 


w 


Women  who  have  drifted  in  from  the  coast  recently 
received  an  odd  rebuke  from  Capt.  Constantine  of  the 
territorial  police.  The  women  naturally  put  on  bloom- 
ers in  coming  over  the  mountains,  and  when  they  got 
on  the  other  side  they  continued  to  wear  bloomers  al- 
together. Bloomers  were  more  than  Capt.  Constan- 
tine would  stand,  and  he  gave  orders  that  if  the  bloom- 
ers did  not  go  the  ^yearers  would.  Regardless  of  this 
drawback,  the  women  of  hardy  stock  are  besieging 
the  gold  fields  and  will  probably  before  long  enlighten 
the  territorial  police  to  a  realizatiion  of  what  the  "new 
woman"  and  the  "bloomer  girl"  can  accomplish. 

CUPID  SMILES  ON  BRIDGET. 

P.  B.  W'^eare  of  the  North  American  Transportation 
company  says  some  women  do  well  in  tlie  Klondyke 
region.  A  year  ago  he  and  Mrs.  Weare  rejoiced  in 
the  possession  of  a  cook,  whose  name  was  Bridget. 
One  day  Bridget  announced  her  intention  of  going  to 
Alaska.  Mr.  Weare  remonstrated,  "You  can't  mine," 
he  said.  "That's  true,"  answered  the  woman,  "but 
there's  them  that  can." 

A  woman  of  stylish  appearance  and  haughty  de- 
meanor swished  her  silken  skirts  past  the  admiring 
office  boy  in  Mr.  VVeare's  office  recently  and  extended 
a  primrose-glOved  hand  to  the  stout  man  who  sat  at 
the  desk.    Looking  up  he  recognized  his  old  cook. 

She  told  him  tliat  before  she  had  got  fifty  miles  up 
the  Yukon  she  had  received  125  proposals  of  mar- 
riage and  that  she  had  held  off  until  an  engaging  com- 
patriot with  a  Kerry  brogue  and  a  mine  that  panned 
out  at  the  rate  of  $50,000  a  month  swore  that  he  could 
not  live  without  her.    "I  am  now  on  my  way  to  Eu- 


li'^' 


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US     OFFICIAL  aUIDB  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

rope,"  said  Bridget,  "and  I  thought  I'd  like  to  see 
you  as  I  went  through.  You  mind  what  I  told  you 
when  I  left?" 

WHERE  THE  MOSQUITO  HUNTS. 

The  Yukon  mosquito  is  king  of  his  tribe.  He  act- 
ually hunts  and  kills  bears  along  that  mighty  river. 
This  is  told  and  pictured  by  no  less  an  authority  than 
Lieut.  Sch'vatka  in  his  well-known  published  account 
of  his  exploration  of  the  Yukon  a  number  of  years  ago. 
Bears  under  stress  of  hunger  sometimes  come  down 
to  the  river  in  mosquito  season,  and  are  attacked  by 
swarms  of  insects,  which  sting  them  about  the  eyes 
so  that  they  go  blind  and  die  of  starvation.  A  prom- 
inent Yukon  miner  said  that  the  mosquito  had  been 
known  to  bite  through  a  thick  moose  skin  mitten. 

CAPT.  HEALY'S  VIEWS. 

The  latest  letter  from  Capt.  Jno.  J.  Healy,  now  at 
Dawson,  estimates  that  the  season's  output  in  the 
Klondyke  district  will  surely  exceed  $5,000,000,  and 
he  says  that  if  the  laborers  who  started  last  spring  reach 
the  mining  country  in  time  the  output  will  exceed  $10,- 
000,000.  In  addition  to  this,  he  says,  the  output  at 
Circle  City  and  Fort  Cudahy,  in  the  American  terri- 
tory, will  exceed  $2,000,000. 

Labor,  says  Captain  Healy,  commands  $15  a  day 
at  the  best  mines.  Wages  were  so  tempting  that  the 
entire  crews  of  the  steamers  John  J.  Healy  and  P.  B. 
Weare,  deserted  to  go  to  the  mines,  and  their  places 
had  to  be  filled  with  Indians. 

TO  THE  KLONDYKE  ON  A  WHEEL. 
One  of  the  most  novel  of  the  many  schemes  to 
obtain  a  share  of  the  wealth  of  the  Klondyke  region 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


in 


has  been  developed  by  a  syndicate  of  four  wealthy 
New  York  business  men,  who  are  planning  to  estab- 
lish trading  posts  and  stores  in  the  minin).^  camps  and 
also  to  purchase  all  promising  claims  on  the  market. 
The  syndicate  will  transport  their  men  and  supplies 
to  the  gold  fields  on  a  bicycle  specially  designed  for 
the  purpose.  The  members  of  the  syndicate  prefer 
that  their  names  shall  not  be  made  public.  They  have 
no  stock  to  sell  and  wnll  furnish  all  the  money  re- 
quired themselves.  Their  attorney  is  Henry  F.  Gran- 
ger, of  45  Broadway. 

As  Mr.  Granger  outlined  the  plan,  the  enterprise 
will  be  undertaken  on  an  extensive  scale.  He  will 
meet  a  mining  expert  in  Seattle  and  will  dispatch  him 
at  once  to  the  gold  fields,  well  supphed  with  money 
to  buy  up  all  the  promising  claims  in  the  market. 
The  attorney  will  also  talk  with  returning  miners  and 
gather  all  the  information  obtainable.  If  it  is  pos- 
sible to  buy  or  charter  freight  steamers  on  the  Pacific 
coast  at  anything  like  their  true  value  he  will  invest 
in  two  or  three.  If  the  transportation  companies  have 
got  control  of  all  available  vessels,  however,  they  will 
be  bought  here  on  bis  return  and  dispatched  at  once 
around  the  Horn.  They  will  be  loaded  with  a  gen- 
eral cargo  of  dry  goods,  clothing,  provisions,  tools, 
whisky  and  tobacco,  and,  in  fact,  everything  that  a 
miner  needs,  and  their  destination  will  be  Juneau. 


ALSO  A  MEANS  OF  TRANSPORT. 

Then  the  Klondyke  bicycle  comes  into  play.  It 
will  be  used  to  transport  supplies  over  the  700  miles 
between  Juneau  and  the  old  fields  by  the  Chilcoot 
pass  trail.  Every  miner  who  goes  to  the  gold  fields 
must  take  with  him  about  1,000  pounds  of  supplies, 


T 


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5* 


198     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

and  the  only  way  to  transport  it  is  for  him  to  carry 
it  on  his  back.  The  most  that  a  man  can  carry  for 
any  distance  is  200  pounds.  The  method  now  in  vogue 
is  to  carry  one  load  about  five  miles,  hide  it  so  that  it 
will  not  be  destroyed  by  animals,  and  then  go  back  for 
another  load.  In  this  tedious  way  the  goods  arc 
finally  transported  to  their  destinations. 

The  Klondyke  bicycle  is  specially  designed  to  carry 
freight,  and  is  in  reality  a  four-wheeled  vehicle  and  a 
bicycle  combined.  It  is  built  very  strongly  and 
weighs  about  fifty  pounds.  Tlic  tires  are  of  solid  rub- 
ber, one  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter.  The  frame  is 
the  ordinary  diamond,  of  steel  tubing,  built,  however, 
more  for  strength  than  appearance,  and  wound  with 
rawhide,  shrunk  on,  to  Enable  the  miners  to  handle 
it  with  comfort  in  low  temperatures.  From  each  side 
of  the  top  bar  two  arms  of  steel  project,  each  arm  carry- 
ing a  smaller  wheel,  about  fourteen  inches  in  diameter, 
which,  when  not  in  use,  can  be  folded  up  inside  the 
diamond  frame. 

Devices  for  packing  large  quantities  of  material  are 
attached  to  the  handle  bars  and  rear  forks,  and  the 
machine,  it  is  estimated,  will  carry  500  pounds.  The 
plan  is  to  load  it  with  half  the  miner's  equipment  and 
drag  it  on  four  wheels  ten  miles  or  so.  Then  the  rider 
will  fold  up  the  side  wheels,  ride  it  back  as  a  bicycle, 
and  bring  on  the  rest  of  the  load. 

ROUND  ABOUT  DAWSON. 

Fourteen  miles  from  Dawson  City,  twelve  miles  up 
Bonanza  creek,  which  empties  into  the  Klondyke 
river  one  and  one-half  miles  from  the  Yukon,  gold 
was  discovered  by  "Siwash"  George  Carmack  and  his 
two  Indian  brothers-in-law  last  August.    The  credit 


■M-I. 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


Ill 


for  the  discovery  really  belongs  to  the  Indians.  A 
stampede  from  Circle  City,  Forty-Mile  and  other  camps 
was  the  result  of  this  find,  but  few  had  much  faith  in  the 
new  region.  Many  after  they  were  on  tl  e  ground, 
and  in  spite  of  the  rich  prospects  on  the  surface  it 
was  generally  regarded  as  a  "grub-stake"  strike  on 
which  one  might  succeed  in  getting  a  winter  outfit. 
A  little  later,  however,  the  prospects  found  on  the 
river  called  forth  the  half-skeptical  remark  that  "if  it 
goes  down  it  is  the  greatest  thing  on  earth."  Then  a 
few  began  to  believe  in  the  new  diggings,  but  many 
old  miners  even  yet  would  not  stake  out  claims,  think- 
ing the  creek  too  wide  for  gold.  A  number  of  side 
gulches  along  the  Bonanza  were  staked,  among  them 
El  Dorado,  which  was  rich  in  gravel  near  the  mouth. 
But  so  little  faith  was  manifested  in  the  region  that 
claim  holders  could  not  get  "grub"  from  the  stores  in 
exchange  for  their  piospects.  There  was  a  general 
fear  that  these  might  be  only  "skim  diggings." 

PAY  DIRT  AT  EL  DORADO. 

In  December  bed  rock  was  reached  on  No.  14  El 
Dorado  and  fabulously  rich  pay  dirt  was  found.  Then 
more  holes  went  down  in  a  hurry.  Everywhere  were 
discovered  prospects  on  bed  rock  ranging  from  $5 
to  $150  to  the  pan.  The  gold  was  nearly  all  coarse. 
Still  the  greatness  of  the  strike  was  not  realized.  Some 
of  the  best  claims  were  sold  by  their  owners  for  a 
few  hundreds  or  a  few  thousands.  Drifting  was  car- 
ried on  by  the  usual  winter  process  of  "burning,"  and 
the  pay  dirt  taken  out  as  rapidly  as  possible  under  the 
difficulties  of  intense  cold.  Pans  as  rich  as  $500  were 
discovejred,  and  nuggets  containing  gold  worth  as 
high  at  $235  were  brought  to  light.    Claims  jumped 


i  •    !    ' 


IM     OFFICIAL  aUIDH  TO  THR  KLONDIKE  COUNTRY 

Up  enormously  iti  price,  but  still  many  men  sold  for  a 
small  part  of  the  value  of  their  holdings.  They  seemed 
wholly  unable  to  realize  their  good  fortune.  Doubts 
were  still  expressed  about  the  dumps  holding  out  to 
tlve  prospects. 

Then  the  test — sluicing — came  in  the  spring  when 
the  ice  me4tcd  and  the  water  ran  down  from  the 
hills.  Then  the  wildest  hopes  of  the  toiling  miners 
were  realized.  Despite  the  lateness  of  commencing 
work  and  the  scarcity  of  men  about  $1,500,000  was 
taken  out  of  El  Dorado  alone.  On  some  of  the  richer 
claims  men  who  secured  ground  to  work  on  shares — 
50  per  cent — cleared  $5,000  to  $10,000  apiece  in  from 
thirty  days'  to  two  montlis'  drifting.  As  high  as  $150,- 
000  was  drifted  out  of  one  claim,  the  other  sums  being 
less.  From  seventy-five  feet  of  ground  on  Nos.  25 
and  26,  El  Dorado,  $ii;>,ooo  was  taken,  or  $1,500  per 
running  foot,  and  the  pay  not  cross-cut,  for  it  fre- 
quently runs  from  vein  to  vein,  being  in  places  150 
feet  wide. 

$500,000  FOR  500  FEET.  1, 

Ground  has  sold  here  this  spring  for  over  $1,000  a 
running  foot,  or  at  the  rate  of  $500,000  for  a  claim  of 
500  feet.  Men  on  whose  judgment  reliance  can  be 
placed  and  who  base  their  opinion  on  what  their  own 
ground  and  that  of  others  has  yielded,  tell  me  that 
there  are  claims  here  from  which  over  $1,000,000  will 
come.  Last  winter  men  on  "lays"  (percentage)  left 
50cent  dirt  because  they  had  better  in  sight  and  only 
a  limited  time  before  spring  to  get  out  ore.  Owing 
to  the  large  number  of  men  on  "lays"  the  production 
of  almost  every  claim  is  known,  and  no  overstatement 
is  possible,  since  so  many  are  interested  in  the  amount 
of  gold  produced.    As  soon. as  sluicing  was  fairly 


^IT., 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA.  'M 

under  way  the  price  of  claims  jumped  again  and  but 
few  would  sell.  It  might  almost  be  said  that  no 
one  would  part  with  a  claim  on  El  Dorado.  On 
Bonanza,  where  the  pay,  except  on  a  few  claims,  is 
not  as  rich  as  on  El  Dorado,  owners  who  had  looked 
in  vain  for  the  $5,  $10  and  $150  pans,  which  were 
plentiful  on  the  rival  creek,  were  disgusted  with  their 
moderate  gains  and  were  willing  to  sell.  Thus  many 
claims  having  20  to  50-cent  dirt  and  three  to  seven 
feet  of  it  were  sold.  The  men  wlio  sold  were  paid 
almost  entirely  out  of  their  own  ground,  the  men  who 
bought  taking  the  dumps  anci  hese,  when  sluiced, 
paying  for  the  claims  and  havin^^  a  hand.some  margin 
for  the  purchasers.  In  so*,  e  instances  -enough  gold 
was  rocked  out  to  make  a  mst  pr»ynKtit  on  the  claims 
before  sluicing  was  possible.  JMany  of  these  men 
had  neither  money  nor  credit  to  get  "grub"  last  fall. 

A  BIG  NUGGET. 

The  office  of  the  British  American  Prospecting  & 
Developing  Company,  52  Yonge  street,  Toronto,  has 
been  crowded  of  late  by  an  interested  crowd  viewing 
the  first  nugget  from  Klondyke  on  exhibition  in  that 
city.  The  nugget  is  without  a  doubt  one  of  the  larg- 
est ever  shown  in  that  city.  The  stock  of  the  com- 
pany, which  is  organized  by  Canadians  for  mining 
and  trading  in  that  region,  is  being  taken  up  very 
rapidly.  A  Canadian  company  will  have  a  good 
chance  in  that  region,  as  the  gold  fields  are  on  the 
CanadJ&n  side  of  the  line.  The  British  American 
Company  will  opefate  .on  the  lines  of  the  large  African 
trading  and  mining  companies,  and  it  is  a  purely  Can- 
adian enterprise.  No  company  placed  on  the  market 
this  year  has  been  so  liberally  subscribed  jto.    Messrs. 


s     \ 


^mnim 


H 


fi 


u 

if 


OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKE  COUNTRY 


Campbell,  Currie  &  Co,  are  the  brokers  of  the  com- 
pany. The  stock  of  the  company  is  non-assessable 
and  is  offered  at  ten  cents  per  share.  i 

PRESENT  DANGERS. 

But  those  chances  are  of  the  past;  let  no  one  imagine 
that  they  still  exist.  Claims  are  held  by  their  owners 
now  up  in  the  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  those  of 
less  desirable  quality  are  dear  in  proportion.  To  get 
a  bargain  in  a  claim  is  impossible  at  this  stage  of  the 
fever  here.  The  value  of  claims  is  now  clearly  known. 
Most  of  them  have  passed  into  second  hands,  the 
present  owners  paying  for  them  in  many  cases  $20,- 
000,  $30,000  or  $50,000,  and  holding  and  working 
them  as  straight  business  propositions.  That  there 
will  be  other  finds  of  gold  in  other  creeks  is  likely, 
but  as  El  Dorado  is  one  of  those  strikes  that  are  made 
only  once  in  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  it  is 
extremely  unlikely  that  another  will  be  found  in  this 
region.  As  the  capacity  of  the  river  steamers  is  lim- 
ited, and  is  likely  to  l>e  taxed  to  the  utmost  this  year 
to  supply  the  necessities  of  those  now  here,  or  already 
coming  in,  with  the  rigors  of  the  arctic  winter  before 
them,  and  no  provisions,  and  after  September  no  wr  y 
of  g>etting  out  where  they  may  be  had,  those  thinki,  ^ 
of  coming  here,  attracted  by  the  marvelous  richness 
of  the  strike,  cannot  be  too  strongly  cautioned  against 
making  the  attempt  this  season.  They  can  gain  noth- 
ing, and  may  suffer  much. 

WAGES  AND  OUTLAY. 

There  are  both  summer  and  winter  diggings  on  all 
the  creeks,  as  some  of  the  claims  are  capable  of  being 
both  drifted  and  sluiced.    Some  summer  drifting  is 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


197 


also  done.  Wages,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  men  last 
winter,  were  $15  a  day  at  the  diggings,  but  they  are 
likely  to  fall  very  soon.  The  price  of  flour  at  Dawson 
City  last  winter  was  $1  a  pound,  and  this  spring  the 
trading  companies  advanced  their  prices  in  some 
cases  50  per  cent.  Canned  meats  were  sold  at  75 
cents  a  can.  Meals  were  charged  for  at  the  rate  of 
$1.50  apiece.  Whisky  was  the  same  old  price — 50 
cents  a  drink.  Lumber,  when  it  can  be  had,  is  $130 
a  thousand  feet.  The  price  of  sawing  at  the  mills  is 
$100  a  thousand  feet,  the  logs  being  furnished  by  the 
purchaser.  Beds  or  lodgings  are  not  to  be  had.  If 
you  can't  find  a  place  in  some  tent  where  you  may 
sleep  you  may  try  the  saloon  floors,  of  which  places 
there  are  a  number.  Good  river-front  lots  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  town  may  be  puichased  at  from  $3,000  to 
$5,000  each.  These  same  lots  sold  last  fall  at  $5 
apiece. 

GETTING  RICH  IN  A  HURRY. 

A  letter  from  the  Klondyke,  in  possession  of  a 
Portland  mining  man,  tells  of  some  wonderful  finds 
in  that  land  of  gold.     The  letter  says : 

I  came  down  to  Dawson  to  send  this  oflf,  as  the 
boat  leaves  in  a  few  days.  Now  to  business.  I  told 
you  when  I  saw  you  last  that  I  would  turn  up  all  right 
in  time,  and  so  I  have.  The  gold  mines  here  are 
wonderful — the  biggest  in  the  world.  You  will  not 
believe  half  I  tell  you,  but  as  there  will  be  some  gold 
going  to  Portland  you  will  see  for  yourself.  There 
was  a  claim  next  to  mine  that  sold  for  $60,000  a  fev/ 
days  ago.  I  will  not  send  out  any  gold  this  time,  I 
washed  out  in  six  days  about  $6,000.  and  T  want  to 
stay  here  another  year  or  two.  Provisions  are  going 
to  be  very  scarce.    If  you  will  pack  up  and  leave 


r^ 


J 


■  ■■& 


^mm 


^p"^^^^rr 


1. 


i 


m     OFFICIAL  QUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

Portland  at  once  and  bring  me  grub  enough  to  last 
three  of  us  one  year  we  will  give  you  a  half  interest 
in  the  biggest  thing  you  ever  struck.  ".  ' 

As  you  know,  1  am  an  old  miner  and  know  what 
I  say.  My  new  partner  and  I  have  each  got  $10,000 
piled  away  in  a  sack.  I  am  sure  that  in  one  year 
from  now  we  three — you,  my  partner  and  I — can 
take  out  $500,000  and  not  try  at  all.  My  cabin  is  half 
a  mile  from  the  digging,  and  many  a  time  I  pick  up 
little  nuggets  that  will  weigh  from  an  ounce  to  two 
ounces.  We  have  been  here  only  four  months  and 
have  over  $30,000  to  show.  One  man  will  take  out 
$200,000  this  trip  for  four  months'  work  by  himself. 

IN  BEHALF  OF  LAW  AND  ORDER. 

The  richness  and  extent  of  the  diggings  are  such 
that  if  they  were  in  any  place  less  inaccessible  than 
this,  doubtless  the  stampede  to  them  would  be  tre- 
mendous, but  a  great  influx  of  gold  hunters  at  this 
time  would  be  a  calamity.  The  Canadian  govern- 
ment has  sent  in  another  detachment  of  police  and 
also  a  judge  and  a  gold  commissioner,  who,  with  the 
customs  officer,  constitute  the  governing  force.  Ow- 
ing to  the  impossibility  of  escape  from  the  country 
such  of  the  criminal  element  as  has  come  in  thus  far 
is  very  quiet  and  peaceable.  Outside  of  a  little  steal- 
ing of  provisions  and  similar  petty  oflfenses  there  is  no 
crime.  There  are  but  a  few  places  where  supplies 
can  be  had  in  all  this  vast  country,  and  any  offender 
is  certain  therefore  of  being  caught  and  punished. 
Though  gold  has  been  sitting  around  in  the  cabins 
for  months  in  lard  pails,  baking  powder  cans,  old  boot 
legs  and  buckets,  no  thefts  have  been  committed. 


\t 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA.  201 

>    NEED  OF  OUTSIDE  COMxMUIsIICATION. 

What  the  country  needs  above  all  things  is  com- 
munication with  the  outside  world.  If  the  govern- 
ment at  Washington  would  make  some  arrangcmeni 
whereby  the  Canadians  could  get  a  port  of  entry  on 
the  disputed  part  of  the  coast  it  would  be  a  great  boon 
to  Alaska  as  well  as  to  this  part  of  the  Northwest 
territory.  Most  of  the  men  who  "hit  it"  are  Ameri- 
cans, whose  gold  will  go  to  San  Francisco  and  the 
United  States.  Because  of  the  lack  of  adequate  com- 
munication with  the  civilized  world  the  miners  are  in 
constant  fear  lest  supplies  should  give  out.  Many 
articles  can  be  had,  but  for  a  limited  time  after  the 
arrival  of  a  steamer,  and  those  who  are  not  fortunate 
enough  to  get  a  supply  at  that  time  must  do  witliout 
for  weeks  and  months,  no  matter  how  much  gold  they 
may  have  to  make  purchases  with.  The  scarcity  may 
be  one  of  provisions,  window  sashes  or  gum  boots, 
but  always  there  is  a  scarcity  here  of  some  important 
article.  Generally  there  is  never  enough  of  anything, 
and  only  the  opening  up  of  communication  with  the 
coast  by  some  other  route  than  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon  oflfers  any  prospect  of  adequate  relief.  If  the 
Canadians  had  a  port  of  entry  they  would  have  com- 
merce coming  down  the  river  from  the  direction  of 
Juneau,  and  the  country  would  not  be  dependent 
upon  the  scanty  supplies  coming  1,900  miles  up  the 
Yukon  from  Bering  sea. 

NOW  FOR  A  LOAN  AGENCY. 

Like  the  proverbial  poor,  the  shrewd  lTtl)rcw  is  al- 
ways with  us  and  ever  ready  to  tread  the  path  beaten 
by  the  successful  Christian.  Civilization  would  seem 
incomplete  without  him.       There  would  have  been 


i  !■ 

1     ; 


I- 


hh'  ^ 


r  1  :  'St    I 


202     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKB  COUNTRY 


|[ 


cause  for  wonder  had  his  intelligent  gaze  overlooked 
the  new  El  Dcrado  of  the  great  Northwest.  For  the 
immediate  amelioration  of  present  conditions  in  which 
the  embryo  millionaires  of  the  Klondyke  are  at  pres- 
ent situated  thirty-four  Jews  started  from  Boston 
quite  recently  en  route  for  the  gold  fields  of  Alaska, 
leaving  behind  them  families,  houses  and  lands,  many 
of  them  taking  their  departure  without  the  knowledge 
of  their  families.  It  is  their  intention  to  make  the 
journey  on  foot  and  to  pay  for  their  subsistence  by 
plying  their  respective  trades  and  peddling.  Their 
leader  and  president  is  Charles  L.  Wise.  There  were 
three  things  for  each  man  to  promise  before  he  was 
entitled  to  join  the  party.  First,  that  he  had  no  re- 
gret in  leaving  his  home;  second,  that  he  would  keep 
clean,  and  third,  that  he  would  abide  by  the  wishes  of 
the  majority.  If  was  also  necessary  for  each  man  to 
be  a  Hebrew.  Each  man  was  requested  to  deposit 
such  a  sum  of  money  in  the  treasury  as  he  felt  able  to 
give,  the  deposits  ranging  from  $15  to-  $200.  The 
oldest  man  in  the  party  is  50  years  old,  and  the 
youngest  17.  The  party  after  leaving  New  York,  in- 
stead of  traveling  due  west  will  take  a  southerly 
course,  peddle  through  some  of  the  southern  states 
as  far  as  Texas  and  from  there  go  up  the  Pacific  coast 
to  Washington.  They  expect  to  reach  it  in  the  spring 
and  to  reach  the  gold  regions  in  the  middle  of  May. 


WHAT  MINERS  WEAR. 


:1 


l\H 


ri 


Of  course,  they  see  the  sun  at  midnight  up  there  in 
summer,  and  at  noon  in  winter  the  hidden  sun  gives 
bright  twilight,  which,  with  the  aid  of  a  bright  mantle 
of  snow,  gives  plenty  of  light  for  ordinary  conven- 
ience.   Men  are  not  troubled  with  light  shoes  and 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


m 


corns — in  the  winter,  at  least.  If  one  is  up  there,  and 
is  fashionable,  he  will  have  a  pair  of  moose-hide 
moccasins,  "a  mile  too  big."  When  he  "puts  on  his 
shoes"  he  will  first  swathe  his  feet  in  pieces  of  blanket 
to  a  thickness  of  from  one  to  two  inches,  and  then 
put  on  his  moccasins.  His  moose-hide  mittens  will 
be  lined  with  blanket  cloth,  or  else  put  on  over  a  pair 
of  thick  woolen  ones,  and  when  he  goes  out  he  will 
put  on  his  "parkie,"  very  likely.  That  is  a  big,  loose 
overcoat,  with  huge  enveloping  hood,  and  it  is  best 
made  of  furry  moose  hide.      .„ 

'.        STRANGE  MINING  METHODS.       " 

Mining  methods  of  Klondyke  are  stran^^e  and  un- 
heard of  and  adapted  to  peculiar  conditions.  There 
pay  gravel  happens  to  lie  several  feet  below  mucky 
beds  of  creeks  and  must  be  mined  out.  At  nearly  all 
the  other  Yukon  placers  ranged  along  the  river  for 
300  mile  gold  is  in  surface  gravel.  In  these  diggings  lit- 
tle or  nothing  can  be  done  except  from  about  June  15 
to  Sept.  I,  when  water  runs.  On  Klondyke  running 
water  prevents  the  mining  out  of  gravel  under  creek 
beds,  and  so  it  is  all  taken  out  during  the  months 
when  everything  is  frozen  solid.  When  the  icy  chains 
break  in  the  short  summer  the  gravel  that  has  been 
mined  is  quickly  sluiced  and  tlie  gold  cleaned  up. 
Prospecting  consists  of  sinking  a- shaft  to  bed  rock  by 
alternately  thawing  the  ground  with  fires  and  digging 
it  out.  When  the  bottom  is  reached  the  prospector 
knows  more  than  he  did  before.  If  a  pan  of  bottom 
gravel,  washed  out  with  water  from  melted  ice,  shows 
up  rich,  the  claim  is  worked  by  tunneling  in.  In  do- 
ing this  dry  wood  is  piled  against  the  face  of  the  drift 
and  then  other  pieces  are  set  slant  vise  over  them.  As 


::4 


^  ' 


,::>  •t-i. 


^■:!  ''mi  P?y^ 


IH 


h' 

I.  ; 


il 

if 


■■% 


SM     OFFICIAL.  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

the  fire  burns  the  gravel  falls  down  from  above  and 
gradually  covers  the  slanting  shield  of  wood.  The 
fire  smolders  away  and  becomes  charcoal  burning.  It 
is  when  it  reaches  this  confined  stage  during  the  night 
that  its  heat  is  most  effective  against  the 
fact  of  the  drift.  Next  day  the  miner  finds  the  face  of 
his  drift  thawed  out  for  a  distance  of  from  ten  to 
eighteen  inches,  according  to  conditions.  He  shovels 
out  dirt,  and  if  only  part  is  pay  dirt  he  puts  only  that 
on  his  dump.  Thus  at  the  rate  of  a  few  inches  a  day, 
drifting  out  of  precious  gravel  goes  on. 

HOW  THE  GOLD  IS  DISTINGUISHED. 

Gold  dust  and  nuggets  are  the  principal  medium 
of  exchange  throughout  the  Yukon  basin,  but  little 
money  being  in  circulation.  Everybody  carries  gold- 
scales  and  so  adept  does  one  become  in  a  short  time 
thiit  it  tal  es  but  little  longer  to  make  change  than 
with  coin.  If  a  hair  cut  is  needed  the  gold  dust  is 
weighed  out — $i ;  if  a  glass  of  whisky — 50  cents,  and 
so  on.  Everybody  carries  a  buckskin  sack.  The 
established  value  of  gold  dubt  is  $17  per  ounce. 

Nuggets  of  one  and  two  ounces  are  not  uncom- 
mon. One  was  found  in  Franklin  gulch  weighing 
thirty  ounces.  The  gold  of  the  different  gulches  is 
readily  distinguishable,  some  being  of  a  light  color, 
worn  smooth  by  the  elements,  while  from  others  it 
is  rough  and  of  a  darker  hue.  ,  , 

WORK  FOR  ALL.  ' 

All  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  reach  the  country 
are  certain  to  find  employment,  even  if  they  do  not 
strike  a  claim,  which  at  present  they  could  avoid 
only  by  not  looking  for  it.    The  poorest  miners  will 


r.Vn,' 


.<.;^':ty!|,!»f^ 


AND  THf:  GOLD  FIBLD8  OF  AIASKA. 


pay  $15  per  day  for  help  on  their  claims,  but  it  will 
cost  $5  per  day  to  live  unless  you  take  your  provisions 
with  you. 

A  detachment  of  mounted  police  of  the  Northwest 
territory  which  passed  through  Seattle  two  years  ago, 
struck  it  rich.  Five  of  the  twenty  guards  returned 
on  the  Portland  with  gold  amounting  to  $200,000. 
The  other  fifteen  remained  in  Alaska  to  engage  in 
mining.  , 

SCURVY  THE  CHIEF  TROUBLE. 

It  is  healthy  enough  up  there.  The  most  prevalent 
trouble  is  scurvy,  which  results  from  scarcity  of  vege- 
tables and  fresh  meats.  A  diet  of  beans,  salt  pork  and 
bad  bacon,  with  flour  at  $50  a  sack,  brings  trouble. 
Fresh  meat  is  always  scarce.  Moose  and  caribou  have 
been  killed  off  and  the  chase  would  not  supply  a  frac- 
tion of  the  population.  There  are  gray' ngs  and  other 
fish  in  the  Yukon  and  they  can  be  hooked  through  the 
ice,  but  who  is  going  to  stand  out  on  the  middle  of  a 
river  at  60  degrees  below  zero  and  with  time  worth 
$15  a  day?  Last  winter  a  quarter  of  beef  was  sledded 
into  Circle  City  with  dogs.  It  was  viewed  with  won- 
der at  the  store  for  a  while,  and  then  raffled  off  for 
$400  for  the  benefit  of  a  projected  miners'  hospital. 
This  spring  an  enterprising  Juneau  man  drove  40 
head  of  cattle  in  from  the  coast — 800  miles — and  beef 
went  at  50  and  then  at  70  cents  a  pound  like  free 
lunch  at  a  Sunday  picnic.  If  anybody  gets  sick  there 
are  patent  medicines  in  the  stores,  and  four  or  five 
doctors  who  diagnose  a  patient's  claim  before  pre- 
senting the  bill. 


I     I 


IM     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDtKB  COONTRt 


)  I. 


•in      ■     - 


MR.  JOSEPH   LADUE. 


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■^:.-A,f -.>::.. 


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1     J 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TO  THE  KLONDYKE  BY  WATER. 

The  Ocean  Route — Steamers  and  Transportation — 
Food  Supplies — Accommodations — When  to  Go — 
The  Money  Required — Points  of  Interest — The 
Aleutian  Islands — Dutch  Harbor — At  St.  Michaels 
— Up  the  "Nile  of  the  North" — Continuous  Daylight 
— Region  of  the  Yukon — Houses  at  a  Yukon  Town 
—Old  Fort  Yukon— Circle  City— Within  the 
Arctic  Circle — Fort  Selkirk — A  Quick  Trip — To 
Those  Going. 

Of  the  two  routes  by  which  the  prospective  traveler 
may  reach  the  Klondyke  the  one  known  as  the  Yukon 
route  is  the  most  in  favor.  This  is  invested  with  the 
least  hardship,  but  it  is  only  available  during  the  short 
four-month  summer.  It  is  a  thirty-five  day  journey, 
although  by  fast  boat  it  can  be  accomplished  in  thirty 
days.        V 

TRANSPORTATION. 

The  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading 
Co.,  with  Alaskan  headquarters  at  Circle  City,  on  the 
Yukon  River,  has  prepared  to  meet  the  rush  of  miners 
with  commendable  promptitude;  and,  considering  the 
unusual  difficulties  of  the  journey,  the  accommodation 
is  all  that  could  be  expected.  The  fare  on  this  com- 
pany's boats  from  Seattle  to  any  point  on  the  Yukon 
River  was  $150  first  class,  and  $125  sti^ond  class.  This 
included  two  hundred  pounds  of  baggage  and  also 
meals  and  berth,  with  the  exception  that  the  second 
class  travelers  had  to  furnish  their  own  bedding.  In 
consequence  of  the  rush  to  the  Klondyke  district  the 
fare  from  Seattle  has  now  been  raised  to  $200. 

Hitherto  the  traffic  by  water  has  been  solely  in  the 
hands  of  the  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Company,  a  Chicago  corporation,  in  which 
such  men  as  P.  B.  Weare  and  Michael  and  John 


! 


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m     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

Cudahy  are  interested.  This  company  owns  the  boats 
which  are  used  in  the  traffic  and  also  the  stores  along 
the  Yukon.  Transportation  of  passengers  and  sup- 
plies is  a  profitai)le  feature,  but  its  principal  purpose 
is  the  sale  of  provisions  and  the  transaction  of  a  gen- 
eral commercial  business.  Like  all  similar  enterprises 
in  a  new  country  it  has  practically  a  monopoly.  The 
Company  will  carry  a  passenger  with  150  pounds  of 
baggage  from  .Seattle  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Yukon 
for  $165,  and  give  him  all  he  wants  to  eat  on  the  way, 
but  it  will  not  ])crmit  him  to  carry  a  store  of  provisions 
for  use  after  he  gets  there.  Food  supplies  must  be 
procured  from  the  Company's  agents.  These  can  be 
lx)ught  on  the  Yukon  or  contracted  for  in  advance. 
In  the  former  instance  it  will  be  a  matter  of  getting 
what  is  in  stock  and  paying  such  prices  as  are  made 
possible  by  a  rush  of  customers.  If  a  contract  is  made 
the  traveler  pays  down  the  lump  sum  of  $400  and  the 
Company  guarantees  to  feed  him  for  a  year. 

FOOD  SUPPLIES. 

The  great  danger  that  now  faces  people  in  the 
Klondyke  is  a  scarcity  of  provisions.  Everything  in 
the  way  of  supplies  that  it  is  possible  to  get  there  this 
year  is  now  on  the  road.  With  the  stocks  now  in 
store  10.000  people  can  be  fed  this  winter.  There  are 
nearly  that  many  now  on  the  ground  and  the  number 
is  increasing  right  along.  With  15.000  mouths  to 
feed  it  is  certain  to  be  a  case  of  short  rations  at  the 
best,  and  a  swelling  of  the  population  to  20,000  means 
starvation  for  some  of  them.  An  effort  is  being  made 
to  get  cattle  and  sheep  into  the  country  by  driving 
them  through  the  mountain  passes  from  Juneau,  but 
the  journey  is  exhausting  and  dangerous.  Such  live 
stock  as  can  be  landed  in  Dawson  City  in  eatable  con- 
dition will  readily  bring  $1  a  pound.  The  principal 
food  used  now  is  bacon,  beans,  and  flour,  with  con- 
densed milk  and  a  few  canned  goods.  Fresh  milk, 
butter,  and  eggs  are  unknown  quantities. 

ACCOMMODATION. 
Heretofore  all  parties  seeking  points  on  the  Yukon 


1']  I 


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AND  THE  aOM>  FIKLDB  OF  ALASKA. 


River  had  to  use  the  route  by  way  of  Juneau  and  down 
the  river  in  a  small  boat.  This  was  a  long  and  tedious 
trip,  and  it  was  necessary  to  start  from  Seattle  in 
March  to  make  it  possible  to  lOach  the  mines  by  the 
latter  part  of  June.  In  contrast  to  this  there  are  now 
first  class  passenger  steamers  going  direct  to  the  mines 
from  either  Seattle  or  San  Francisco.  Miners  are 
thus  enabled  to  reach  the  mines  in  ample  time  for  the 
season's  work,  while  avoiding  a  long  and  dangerous 
trip  and  at  less  expense  than  in  the  old  way.  The 
Alaska  Commercial  Co.,  which  practically  succeeded 
the  old  Hudson  Bay  (Jo.,  ran  boats  originally  in  the 
fur  trade  interest  from  San  Francisco,  but  the  North 
American  Transportation  Co.  are  practically  the  pio- 
neers in  transportation  to  the  gold  fields.  In  selling 
tickets  the  companies  agree  to  take  the  traveler  as 
far  as  possible  on  the  Yukon  River,  but  cannot  agree 
to  go  to  Dawson  City,  as,  owinj;;  to  the  difficulties  of 
navigation  and  many  other  possible  obstacles,  includ- 
ing ihe  shortness  of  the  r  ason,  they  may  be  obliged 
to  tie  up  for  the  winter  at  Circle  City  or  some  point 
below  Dawson  City.  This  condition  applies  mainly 
to  trips  that  are  made  late  in  the  season. 

WHEN  TO  GO. 

In  some  quarters  it  is  contended  that  it  is  well  to 
go  to  the  Klondyke  at  the  beginning  of  the  season, 
but  there  can  be  no  question  that  the  best  time  to 
make  the  trip  is  at  the  end  of  the  season,  with  the 
prospect  of  a  winter  there  to  look  around,  get  ac- 
quainted with  the  country  and  do  what  prospecting  is 
necessary.  This  will  put  the  miner  on  the  ground 
when  the  season  opens.  The  chance  to  work  with 
running  water  lasts  only  about  four  and  a  half  months, 
so  that  every  moment  is  valuable.  No  one  should  go 
there  planning  to  stay  less  than  twelve  months.  It 
IS  largely  a  question  of  means.  To  make  the  trip  at 
ihe  end  of  the  season  with  an  outfit  and  provisions 
for  a  stay  of  twelve  months  necessitates  a  considerable 
outlay,  but  then  it  is  the  only  way  to  give  the  gold 
fields  a  fair  trial.    If  one  makes  the  trip  at  the  begin- 


fF»-  •  *''f ' 


4 


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111 


OFFICIAL.  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKB  COUNTRY 


ning  of  the  season  without  being  prepared  to  stay  over 
the  following  winter,  it  will  probably  mean  disaster,  as 
the  most  valuable  time  will  be  occupied  in  going  and 
coming. 

THE  MONEY  REQUIRED. 

The  minimum  amount  of  money  required  is  $600. 
It  would  not  be  safe  to  start  out  with  less.  But  it 
had  better  be  made  a  thousand,  if  possible,  for  with 
the  present  rush  it  is  likely  that  prices  will  be  trebled 
or  even  quadrupled.  Even  the  Indians  will  charge 
more  for  their  assi-^tance.  Still,  if  a  man  is  stranded 
on  the  way  he  will  probably  find  it  easy  to  make  a 
living  almost  anywhere  in  the  gold  bearing  portion 
of  the  Yukon  basin.  He  can  earn  $10  o'-  $15  a  day 
digging  the  ground  for  men  with  good  claims.  And 
with  the  rise  in  prices  these  wages  may  also  go  up. 
Bear  in  mind,  however,  that  the  price  of  living  mu: 
increase  in  proportion.  These  opinions  are  expressed 
by  Chas.  G.  Yale,  the  mining  expert, 

POINTS  OF  INTEREST. 

From  Seattle  the  ocean  steamer  leaving  Puget 
Sound  sails  out  to  the  northwest  across  the  Pacific 
Ocean  to  the  Aleutian  Islands,  between  which  a  chan- 
nel leads  into  Bering  Sea.  Safe  in  these  latter  waters 
the  steamer  is  put  on  a  direct  northerly  course  to  St. 
Michaels  Island,  which  lies  on  the  far  western  coast  of 
Alaska  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  River.  There  a 
transfer  is  made  to  a  light-draft  river  boat  and  in  this 
the  rest  of  the  voyage  to  Dawson,  Circle  City,  or  Fort 
Cudahy  is  made.  Up  to  this  time  theic  have  been  two 
boats  in  this  Yukon  River  service,  each  of  which 
makes  one  round  trip  during  the  summer.  The  first 
boat  up  in  the  spring  reaches  Circle  City  toward  the 
end  of  June,  and  the  last  one  leaves  there  early  in 
September  on  the  return  trip  to  St.  Michaels  Island. 

THE  ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS. 

On  the  Aleutians  nearly  every  foot  of  the  landscape 
is  bright  green.  The  highest  peaks  are  snow-capped, 
but  below  that  there  is  no  visible  thing  but  rnoss  and 


•mmmmmmmsmma^^^mssmi 


!^ 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


2U 


grass.  Salmonberry  bushes  grow  everywhere,  but 
they  are  low  and  inconspicuous,  and  offer  no  contrast 
to  the  prevaiHng  color,  and  thore  are  no  trees. 

DUTCH  HARBOR.      ' 

Within  the  harbor  is  an  island,  with  a  crescent  bay 
that  is  called  Dutch  harbor,  where  the  company  that 
owns  the  sealing  privilege  of  the  Pribyloff  islands  has 
a  supply  station.  Then  back  of  this  island,  at  the  head 
of  the  bay,  is  another  curved  beach,  where  is  strung 
out  the  line  of  white-painted  houses  that  constitute 
the  port  of  Unalaska.  On  the  hillside  back  of  the 
town  may  be  seen  a  herd  of  cows,  knee-deep  in  rank 
grass. 

AT  ST.  MICHAEL'S. 

St.  Michael's  used  to  be  a  Russian  fortification,  and 
some  of  the  old  Russian  buildings  are  still  standing, 
but  for  many  years  it  has  been  the  transfer  and 
forwarding  point  for  all  goods  going  into  or  coming 
out  of  the  interior.  Both  the  commercial  companies 
doing  business  on  the  river  have  v/arehouses  here. 
During  the  two  or  three  mo  ;ths  of  open  navigation 
it  is  a  place  of  considerable  activity.  Then  communi- 
cation is  cut  off,  and  it  goes  into  the  long,  uneventful 
night  of  winter.  The  white  inhabitants  are  probably 
fifty  resident  employes  of  the  companies,  the  collector 
of  customs,  several  missionaries  and  a  few  independent 
traders.  Several  hundred  Eskimos  also  live  on  the 
island.  The  surface  of  the  country  immediately  sur- 
rounding Si. Michael's  is  gently  rolling,and  in  summer 
it  is  covered  with  a  great  growth  of  grass,  having 
more  the  appearance  of  Nebraska  prairies  than  of  an 
arctic  region.  A  series  of  six  or  seven  low,  cone- 
shaped  hills  across  the  shallow  estuary  arc  extinct 
volcanoes.  Tn  all  the  landscape  there  is  no  timber, 
nor  are  there  trees  anywhere  near  Bering  sea. 

UP  THE  YUKON. 

The  trip  to  the  gold  fields  by  the  Yukon  River  route 
is  pleasant  for  tourists  during  the  summer  months. 
They  leave  Seattle  on  a  well  appointed  steamer,  which 


is! 


IP.M"'! 


M-iSr 


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US     OFFICIAL  OUIDB  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRT 

proceeds  up  Puget  Sound,  passes  Port  Townsend  and 
Victoria,  and  gets  out  through  the  Straits  of  San  Juan 
de  Fuca  to  the  Pacific.  From  then  on  the  voyage  is 
an  uninterrupted  run  of  2,000  miles  to  Dutch  Harbor, 
the  first  stop.  Dutch  Harbor  is  a  coaling  station  and 
a  supply  point  for  naval  vessels  and  the  Bering  sea 
fleets  of  sealers  and  whalers.  After  a  short  stop  there 
the  vessel  proceeds  on  its  way  north  through  Bering 
sea,  past  the  Seal  Island  of  St,  George  and  St.  Paul 
and  up  through  Norton  Sound  to  Fort  Get  There,  on 
St.  Michael's  Island,  where  is  located  the  transfer  and 
supply  station  for  the  Yukon  river.  Here  the  traveler 
finds  a  good  many  native  Eskimos.  Here  passengers 
and  freight  are  transferred  to  large  and  commodious 
river  steamers,  which  proceed  down  the  coast  sixty 
miles  to  the  north  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  a  river  larger 
than  the  Mississippi,  that  can  be  navigated  with  large 
steamers  2,300  miles  without  a  break,  and  which 
abounds  in  fish,  the  salmon  being  noted  far  and  wide 
for  their  fine  flavor  and  large  size. 

CONTINUOUS  DAYLIGHT. 

As  you  proceed  up  the  river  you  see  innumerable 
Indian  villages  and  small  settlements  inhabited  by 
traders,  missionaries  and  Indians,  all  of  interest  to  .le 
traveler.  The  first  two  or  three  hundred  miles  is 
through  low,  flat  country,  after  which  the  mountain- 
ous country  is  reached,  and  the  constant  change  of 
magnificent  scenery  is  beyond  description. 

At  old  Fort  Yukon,  which  is  inside  of  the  arctic 
circle,  you  see  during  the  months  of  June  and  July  the 
sun  twenty-four  hours  without  a  break,  and  all  along 
the  river  d'.'ring  these  niorths  one  can  read  a  paper 
at  any  time  during  the  day  or  night  without  a  lamp, 
li  is  continuous  daylight  during  this  time. 

After  leaving  here  the  next  point  of  interest  is  Circle 
City,  the  metropolis  of  the  Yukon  country.  Here  you 
find  a  large  frontier  town,  the  houses  all  built  cf  logs, 
and  while  they  have  no  pretensions  to  beauty,  they  are 
warm  and  comfortable.  Circle  City  has  a  population 
of  nearly  2,000  people,  and  some  of  the  best  placer 


.-   -i 


,,<»■;•■':'. 


AND  THE  COLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA. 


S» 


mines  in  the  country  are  'ocated  near  this  place.  From 
here  the  traveler  proceeds  on  up  the  river  240  miles 
further,  and  finds  Fort  Cudahy  at  the  mouth  of  Forty 
Mile  Creek.  This  is  a  thriving  town,  similar  to  Circle 
City,  but  not  as  large.  It  is  the  supply  point  for  the 
mines  in  the  forty-mile  district. 

REGION  OF  THE  YUKON. 

The  Yukon  river,  which  crosses  Alaska  from  east 
to  west  and  empties  into  the  Pacific  a  little  south  of 
Bering  Strait,  is  said  to  be  a  mightier  stream  than  the 
Columbia.  River  steamers  navigate  it  hundreds  of 
miles  from  its  mouth.  Passengers  from  Seattle  ar; 
usually  transferred  from  ocean  steamships  to  these 
vessels  at  St.  Michael's  Island,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon.  The  source  of  the  river  is  in  British  territory, 
200  or  300  miles  south  of  the  point  where  the  stream 
crooks  away  westward  into  Alaska.  In  fact,  it  may 
be  said  to  drain  very  nearly  the  ^ame  mountain  slopes 
as  the  Eraser,  Columbia,  Peace,  and  Stickine,  It  was 
natural,  therefore,  to  expect  that  gold  would  be  found 
along  the  main  channel  of  the  Yukon  or  some  of  its 
tributaries.  Explorers  were  sent  out  from  two  bases. 
One  set  ;vent  up  the  river  from  its  mouth,  traversing 
the  whole  of  Alaska  from  the  west  to  east;  and  an- 
other pushed  up  from  the  south,  from  the  vicinity 
of  Juneau,  through  Chilkat  Pass.  The  North  Ameri- 
can Transportation  and  Trading  Company  established 
trading  stations  near  the  source  of  the  river  five  or 
six  years  ago.  Most  of  the  prospecting  has  been  done 
either  between  this  locality  and  the  point  where  the 
river  crossed  into  Alaska,  or  within  the  first  100  miVps 
over  the  line. 

Fine  gold  dust,  in  small  quantities,  was  found  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Porcupine  river,  a  stream  that  joins  the 
Yukon  about  too  miles  west  of  the  boundary,  and  also 
near  the  mouth  of  Forty-Mile  Creek,  most  of  whose 
course  lies  in  Alaska,  but  which  crosses  into  British 
territory  before  emptying  into  the  big  river.  Fort 
Cudahy  is  situated  here,  and  Circle  City,  where  there 
were  other  mining  camps,  is  about  fifty  miles  further 


mm 


it 


^1 


m     OFFICIAL  aUIDB  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

west.  These  places  are  about  800  or  900  miles  from 
the  sea,  if  one  travels  by  steamboat,  and  in  the  winter 
are  completely  cut  off  from  the  outer  world, 

HOUSES  AT  A  YUKON  TOWN. 

The  principal  settlement  on  the  Canadian  side,  Forty 
Mile,  is  not  in  many  respects  after  the  style  of  the 
typical  mining  towns.  There  are  no  animals — except 
dogs — and  in  the  whole  town  there  is  not  the  track  of 
a  wheel.  It  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  that  has  given 
lo  the  interior  its  greatest  celebrity,  a  town  of  200 
cabins,  all  so  nearly  alike,  with  a  few  exceptions,  that 
the  difference  is  hardly  worth  mentioning.  The 
Alacka  Commercial  Company  has  a  2-story  building 
for  its  agents'  ofifice,  and  there  are  others;  a  few  sa- 
loons and  stores  and  the  Pioneer  hotel,  but  there  is 
one  form  of  architecture  that  seems  to  fill  the  require- 
rnents  of  the  climate  and  of  taste.  It  is  a  log  house 
twenty  feet  square,  with  a  perfectly  flat,  dirt-covered 
*op.  The  top  of  the  house  is  a  hanging  garden,  which, 
if  the  structure  is  more  than  a  year  old,  is  covered 
with  a  rank  growth  of  weeds. 

It  would  be  hard  to  find  anything  else  than  dirt  that 
would  keep  out  the  cold.  In  building  such  a  house 
there  is  a  groove  cut  in  what  is  to  be  the  underside 
of  each  log,  that  it  may  fit  down  snug  to  the  timber 
just  beneath  it,  and  there  is  a  packing  of  moss  put  in 
ail  the  joints  between  the  logs  to  fill  all  possible  in- 
equalities. Moss  is  the  best  non-conductor  of  heat 
or  cold  that  the  country  affords,  and  it  is  put  to  a 
variety  of  uses  'm  building.  To  make  a  roof  a  course 
of  stout  p<.)les  first  is  laid  across,  and*after  that  a  thick 
coating  of  moss;  then  the  flower  garden  is  put  on — 
that  is,  about  a  foot  of  dirt.  There  is  no  floor,  except 
the  natural  one,  and  the  furniture  is  an  after  considera- 
tion, made  to  suit  the  requirements  of  the  occupant; 
a  bedstead  made  altogether  of  poles,  as  is  usually  the 
table  also,  chairs  of  a  great  variety  of  design  and  fin- 
ish, a  moose-skin  rug  or  two,  and  the  invariable 
Yukon  stove.  The  latter  is  made  of  sheet-iron,  and 
weighs  about  twenty-five  pounds.    There  are  no  vani* 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


ties  of  any  sort  about  a  Forty  Mile  house.  It  is  made 
primarily  to  keep  out  the  cold.  It  has  a  single  door — 
extending  no  higher  or  lower  or  wider  than  is  neces- 
sary for  getting  in  or  out — and  a  single  window  of 
four  small  pants  of  glass.  In  winter  another  sash  is 
put  in  to  make  a  double  thickness.  There  is  a  pre- 
ponderance of  saloons  at  Forty  Mile.  Whisky  is 
worth  $10  a  quart  bottle  and  retails  at  50  cents  a  glass. 
A  half  dollar  also  buys  three  loaves  of  bread. 

FORT  YUKON. 

The  use  of  the  word  "fort"  in  naming  the  stations 
of  the  lower  river  is  not  justified  by  facts.  None  of 
them  has  ever  been  put  to  military  use.  Fort  Yukon 
was  established  by  Robert  Bell  as  a  post  of  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company,  he  assuming  that  it  was  in  Can- 
adian territory.  He  made  a  mistake  of  300  miles, 
measured  by  the  river.  Hudson  Bay  Company  held 
the  post  until  it  was  warned  away  by  an  American 
officer.  The  other  "forts"  are  only  trading  posts,  gen- 
erally with  a  log  store  building  and  a  few  cabins, 
fringed  with  a  variety  of  native  shacks. 

CIRCI.E  CITY. 

Circle  City  stands  on  a  dead-level  plain,  twenty 
feet  higher  than  the  river  at  the  ordinary  stage  of 
water.  In  the  distant  background  is  a  low  range  of 
purple  hills  which  marks  the  dividing  line  between  the 
Birch  creek  district  and  the  river.  On  the  opposite 
side  from  the  town  the  river  runs  away  into  space,  with 
no  very  well  defined  shore  line. 

The  prevailing  style  of  architecture  in  this  city, 
where  gold  nuggets  exchange  currently  for  flour,  is  a 
low,  square  log  cabin,  with  wide  projecting  eaves  and 
a  dirt  roof.  The  crevices  between  the  logs  are  chinked 
with  moss,  which  abounds  everywhere.  It  takes  two 
men  about  two  weeks  to  get  out  the  logs  and  erect 
one  of  these  buildings,  and  when  it  is  done  it  rents  for 
$15  a  month,  or  if  it  is  for  sale  it  commands  from  $300 
to  $500. 

Poor  Circle  City! — hardly  a  dozen   white   people, 


216     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 


fi 


I 


from  the  present  outlook,  will  be  left  here  next  winter 
to  offset  perhaps  a  hundred  Indians.  Seven  months 
ago  Circle  City  could  boast  1,500  white  people,  now 
scarcely  forty,  and  they  are  only  waiting  for  the  first 
boat  to  take  them  to  Klondyke. 

Circle  City  differs  not  greatly  from  Forty  Mile.  It 
is  a  newer  place,  having  been  started  three  years  ago. 
There  is  no  natural  advantap"e  in  putting  the  town  in 
that  particular  place,  only  that  there  is  a  little  bight 
of  the  river  just  out  of  reach  of  the  headlong  current, 
which  makes  a  quiet  landing  place  for  small  boats, 
and  back  of  it  is  a  level  country  for  miles.  Yet  there 
is  another  reason  in  the  fact  that  it  is  only  eight  miles 
across  a  low  divide  to  Birch  creek,  which  is  the  point 
of  interest  for  all  gold  hunters. 

A  postoffice  has  recently  been  established  in  Circle 
City,  and  the  first  United  States  mail  arrived  there  on 
July  14,  Before  that  it  was  the  custom  to  get  one  or 
two  mails  a  year  in  and  out  of  the  country  by  private 
enterprise.  The  carriers  usually  received  $1  a  letter  for 
the  service  and  made  $500  to  $1,000  out  of  a  single 
trip.  The  government  contract  was  let  at  $500  for  a 
round  trip  from  Juneau  to  Circle  City,  but  the  man 
who  carried  the  Canadian  mail  from  Juneau  to  Forty 
Mile  received  $650  for  the  round  trip,  with  300  miles 
less  distance.  There  was  only  one  trip  made  this 
year  with  the  United  States  mail,  while  the  Canadian 
contractor  made  three. 


WITHIN  THE  ARCTIC  CIRCLE. 

It  would  seem  to  people  in  the  "old  country,"  as 
the  states  are  sometimes  referred  to,  that  there  could 
be  no  stability  about  the  growth  of  a  town  almost  with- 
in the  arctic  circle,  but  somehow  a  newcomer  has  not 
been  in  the  place  twenty-four  hours  before  he  is  in- 
spired with  a  different  idea.  Fine  and  coarse  gold 
and  nuggets  are  shaken  out  of  buckskin  bag?  and 
weighed  in  exchange  for  "grub"  without  discrimina- 
tion. 

Dogs  are  worth  $100  each.  Speaking  of  dogs,  it 
seems  that  a  large  percentage  of  the  wealth  here  is 


.*  V. 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


W 


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invested  in  them.  They  are  really  more  of  a  pest  than 
the  much-advertised  mosquito.  Food  is  so  high  that 
a  dog  is  expected  to  forage  for  his  living  and  they  be- 
come very  expert  rustlers.  When  a  meal  is  in  prep- 
aration the  dogs  form  a  circle  around  the  cook  and  as 
a  man  cannot  look  in  all  directions  at  once  they  take 
every  opportunity  to  glide  in  and  make  off  with  a  fry- 
ing pan,  a  stick  of  stove  wood  or  anything  that  has  the 
least  flavor  or  suggestion  of  cooking.  A  miner  who 
w^as  stopping  near  an  Indian  camp  placed  his  last  loaf 
of  bread  under  his  head  before  going  to  sleep  in  order 
to  make  sure  of  it,  but  long  before  morning  a  Siwash 
dog  had  made  away  with  it.  The  dogs  are  a  great 
nuisance,  because  ordinary  precautions  against  them 
are  of  no  avail;  clubbing  is  useless,  and  shooting  a 
dog  would  precipitate  a  call  for  a  rr"  ers'  meeting. 

FORT  SELKIRK. 

The  most  extensive  efforts  at  gardening  of  all  places 
in  the  interior  have  been  carried  on  at  Fort  Selkirk 
for  several  years.  They  have  this  year  an  acre  or 
more  of  potatoes,  besides  cabbage,  turnips  and  other 
vegetables.  They  have  to  irrigate  the  gardens 
to  some  extent  by  pumping  water  from  the  river,  and 
it  is  necessary  to  blanket  the  plants  early  and  also  late 
in  the  season.  For  probably  six  weeks  of  midsummer 
the  latter  protection  is  not  necessary.  The  soil  is  very 
fertile,  and  produces  better  after  two  or  three  years' 
cultivation.  Although  much  care  is  entailed  in  rais- 
ing a  garden  crop  on  the  Yukon,  it  pays  very  well,  as 
potatoes  are  easily  worth  $io  a  bushel  at  any  season 
of  the  year. 

The  upper  ramparts  of  the  Yukon  begin  at  the 
mouth  of  Pelly  river.  This  remarkable  formation  is 
a  perpendicular  wall  continuing  along  the  north  bank 
of  the  river  for  fifteen  miles.  It  maintains  an  almost 
straight  course,  and  is  without  a  crevice  or  approach- 
able opening  for  the  entire  distance,  rising  straight  up 
from  the  water.  At  the  top  of  the  wall  a  grassy  plain 
extends  back  for  a  distance,  when  it  is  again  broken 
by  terraces  rising  one  above  another,  which  in  turn 


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218     OFFICIAL  G.UIDB  TO  THB  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

terminate  abruptly  in  precipitous  mountains.  The 
wall  itself,  at  the  lower  end,  is  merged  into  lofty  moun- 
tains, broken  and  irregular. 

A  QUICK  TRIP. 

A  trip  from  Chicago  by  one  of  the  fastest  boats  will 
cost  thirty  days — four  from  Chicago  to  Seattle,  six- 
teen from  Seattle  to  St.  Michael's  Island,  and  ten  up 
the  Yukon  to  Dawson  City.  The  distance  in  general 
figures  is  2,250  miles  from  Chicago  to  Seattle,  2,500 
miles  to  St.  Michael's  Island  and  1,890  miles  up  the 
Yukon  to  Dawson,  a  total  of  about  6,000  miles. 

As  prospecting  miners  usually  travel,  the  cost  of 
a  trip  from  Chicago  to  Dawson  City  is  $251.50.  From 
Chicago  to  Seattle  (second  class),  $51.50;  from  Seattle 
to  Dawson  City,  $200.  By  the  fast  boats,  however, 
the  voyager  should  be  prepared  to  expend  a  little  ex- 
tra with  a  view  to  saving  five  days'  time. 

,.  TO  THOSE  GOING. 

If  you  contemplate  a  trip  it  is  advisable  to  engage 
your  passage  early,  if  not  at  once,  as  the  probable 
rush  will  be  very  considerable.  The  recent  gold  fever 
that  had  its  birth  in  the  Klondyke  district  has  caused 
an  immense  amount  of  excitement  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  reported  discoveries  are  founded  on 
fact.  The  tide  that  has  set  in  toward  the  Klondyke 
gold  fields  rises  higher  -^very  day.  Talk  of  approach- 
ing cold  weather,  snow,  ice  and  a  thousand  and  one 
hardships  that  can  be  figured  out  meet  with  a  deaf 
ear.  "I  have  decided  to  go,"  is  the  almost  universal 
answer,  "and  I  am  going.  If  I  can't  do  anything  this 
winter  I  will  be  on  the  ground  ready  to  start  for  the 
Klondyke  next  spring  when  the  ice  goes  out  of  the 
Yukon."  Dress  is  only  one  item.  •  Every  miner  must 
take  his  own  food  with  him.  Here  is  a  list  of  pro- 
visions made  out  by  an  expert  as  sufficient  to  last  a 
man  for  one  month : 

Twenty  pounds  of  flour,  with  baking  powder. 

Twelve  pounds  of  bacon. 

Six  pounds  of  beans. 


*^# 
'>**■. 


Jtt'., 


';-^r^'-': 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OE  AI  ASKA. 


HI 


Five  pounds  of  desiccated  vegetables. 

Four  pounds  of  butter. 

Five  pounds  of  sugar.  ;  •  .      » 

Four  cans  of  milk. 

One  pound  of  tea. 

Three  pounds  of  coffee.  .    ;  ;;. 

Two  pounds  of  salt. 

Five  pounds  of  corn  meal. 

Pepper,  mustard. 

The  following  utensils  would  not  be  too  many: 

One  frying  pan. 

One  water  kettle. 

One  Yukon  stove. 

One  bean  pot. 

Two  plates. 

One  drinking  cup. 

One  teapot. 

One  knife  and  fork. 

One  large  and  one  small  cooking  pan. 

The  following  tools  are  necessary  for  boat  building: 

One  jack  plane. 

One  whipsaw. 

One  hand  saw. 

One  rip  saw. 

One  draw  knife. 

One  axe. 

One  hatchet. 

One  pocket  knife. 

Six  pounds  of  assorted  nails. 

Three  pounds  oakum. 

Three  pounds  of  pitch. 

Fifty  feet  of  five-eighths  rope.  * 

"Other  necessities  would  be  a  tent,  a  rubber  blanket, 
mosquito  netting  and  matches.  It  is  also  desirable  to 
take  along  a  small,  well  filled  medicine  chest,  a  rifle, 
a  trout  line  and  a  pair  of  snow  glasses,  to  provide 
against  snow  blindness. 

"The  entire  outfit  can  be  obtained  in  Juneau,  where 
one  can  be  sure  of  getting  just  what  is  needed,  without 
any  extra  weight,  which  is  a  matter  of  great  import- 
ance, as  many  hard  portages  are  to  be  encountered  on 


■Cf«i:iifc^S&.. 


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m     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 

the  trip.  Hitherto  prices  in  Juneau  have  been  reason- 
able. Of  course  one  cannot  say  what  may  be  the  re- 
sult of  the  present  rush  in  the  way  of  raising  prices. 

"You  advise  people  to  wait  until  spring.  But  don't 
you  think  the  cream  of  the  claims  will  be  skimmed 
next  year?" 


#■ 


Miction  of  ^uiiu  Dox 


NINBR'4 
SHOVEL 


WORKING  OUTFIT. 


I  '4 


^'^^i5^fM0fSs^ 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OVERLAND  TO  THE  KLONDYKE. 

Gateway  to  the  Northwest — The  Indian  Quarter— 
The  Juneau  Route — Portages  on  the  Route — Dyea 
— The  Indians — Over  the  Mountain  Trail — Chil- 
koot  Pass — Chilkat  Pass — White  Pass — Wagon 
Road  Over  White  Pass — For  a  Quicker  Service — 
Railroad  Is  Surveyed — Lake  Teslin  Trail — Queer 
Outfits — Building  One's  Own  Boat — A  Profitable 
Delay — To  Five-Finger  Rapids — At  Miles  Canyon 
— Indian  Packers — Succession  of  Stations  Overland 
and  by  River — Outfit  for  the  Overland  Trip — A  New 
York  Statement — The  Temperature. 

The  metropolis  and  gateway  of  our  big  northwest 
territory  is  Juneau,  a  town  hardly  lo  years  old.  In 
spite  of  the  immensity  of  the  country  it  is  hard  to  find 
room  enough  on  the  coast  to  build  a  town  on  and 
consequently  Juneau  is  much  crowded  for  space.  The 
streets  are  hardly  half  the  usual  width  and  the  houses 
reach  up  the  foot  of  the  mountain  as  high  as  it  is  safe 
to  build  them  on  account  of  the  risk  from  snowslides. 

As  there  is  plenty  of  timber  everywhere  all  the 
houses,  including  the  federal  building,  are  of  wood. 
Even  the  Indians  live  in  fairly  good  frame  houses. 
The  law,  as  far  as  it  extends,  is  administered  by  the 
United  States  authorities.  A  federal  commissioner 
hears  all  cases  that  come  up,  disposing  of  the  smaller 
ones  and  holding  the  more  serious  offenders  to  the 
United  States  court.  Most  of  the  cases  are  for  the 
violation  of  the  liquor  regulations.  For  the  most  part 
the  liquor  laws  are  a  dead  letter.  Dozens  of  saloons 
are  run  openly  without  paying  any  kind  of  license. 
An  occasional  atrest  is  made,  but  it  does  not  serve  as 
a  check  on  the  business.     Public  opinion  is  against 


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m     OFFICIAL  QUIDS  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 


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the  enforcement  of  the  law.  The  only  oflfense  of  this 
nature  that  is  regarded  seriously  is  the  selling  of 
liquor  to  the  Indians.  Public  opinion  condemns  this 
and  there  are  occasional  convictions  for  it. 

THE  INDIAN  QUARTER. 

A  slight  hill,  or  ridge,  divides  the  business  portion 
of  Juneau  from  the  Indian  town.  Standing  on  this 
ridge  at  any  time  in  the  day  one  may  enjoy  an  ani- 
mated picture  on  the  beach  below.  The  one  im- 
portant item  in  life  to  these  Indians  is  their  fishing. 
Their  houses  line  the  beach  at  a  safe  distance  above 
high  tide  and  all  the  intermediate  space  is  tilled  with 
the  appurtenances  of  their  craft.  Their  long  boats, 
or  kyacks,  turned  up  at  both  ends  and  which  cut  the 
water  like  a  knife, aredrawn  up  out  of  reach  of  the  surf 
and  are  generally  covered  over  with  skins  or  cloths  to 
protect  them  from  the  weather. 

These  boats  are  very  speedy,  and  the  Indians  fear- 
lessly undertake  any  sort  of  a  sea  voyage  in  them. 
Sometimes  the  Alaskan  Indians  go  all  the  way  down 
to  Puget  Sound  for  the  sake  of  a  month's  work  during 
the  hop-picking  season  and  for  the  incidental  excite- 
ment. 

THE  JUNEAU  ROUTE. 

The  way  of  getting  to  the  mines  by  what  is  com- 
monly called  the  Juneau  route,  is  much  more  direct 
but  it  is  broken  by  various  methods  of  transportation. 
The  first  stagt  is  a  four  days'  trip  from  Seattle  up  the 
coast  900  miles  to  Juneau.  This  is  the  principal  Alas- 
kan port,  a  town  of  5.000  inhabitants,  and  a  ve'-y  good 
outfitting  point,  as  prices  are  h'.it  little  higher  than  at 
the  cities  of  Puget  Sound.  Ever  'thing  that  a  miner 
needs  can  be  procured  there  in  ordinary  times,  al- 
though such  a  rush  as  is  exp;  c<ed  might  exhaust  the 
resources  of  the  town. 

On  arrival  at  Juneau  the  traveler  changes  to  a 
smaller  boat  and  sails  100  miles  north  to  Dyea.  From 
there  he  has  a  portage  of  twenty-seven  miles  through 
the  Chilkoot  Pass.  The  last  half-mile  of  this  pass  is 
over  a  glacier  and  the  severest  of  climbing.    Chilkoot 


■;   'i-  ':^^;*^: -  -i 


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■A.'J-'.  ■■.'M';** 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  AT^BKA.  Ill 

Indians  are  employed  to  pack  supplies  to  the  top  of 
the  pass,  but  from  there  on  the  traveler  has  to  pack 
his  own  load. 

After  getting  through  the  Chilkoot  Pass  the  traveler 
reaches  Lake  Lindeman.  At  that  point  is  a  sawmill, 
where  boats  are  sold  at  $75  each.  Travelers  who  do 
not  care  to  pay  that  price  can  purchase  lumber  and 
build  their  own  boats.  The  lumber  can  be  bought  for 
$100  a  thousand  feet,  and  about  500  feet  are  required 
to  build  a  boat  that  will  answer  the  purpose.  Still 
other  travelers  carry  whipsaws  and  get  out  their  own 
lumber,  and  a  man  handy  with  saw  and  hammer  can 
build  a  boat  in  three  or  four  days.  To  continue  the 
trip,  though,  a  boat  is  necessary  and  by  some  means  or 
other  one  must  be  had. 

PORTAGES  ON  THE  ROUTE. 

After  securing  his  boat  the  traveler  floats  down 
Lake  Lindeman  and  Lake  Bennett  and  then  has  half 
a  mile  of  portage  where  his  boat  has  to  be  moved 
on  rollers.  There  is  any  amount  of  rollers  to  be  had, 
though,  for  earlier  beaters  of  the  path  have  left  them. 
This  half  mile  overland  brings  the  traveler  to  Lake 
Tagish,  through  which  he  goes  six  miles  and  over  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  portage  to  Mud  Lake,  and  on  to 
the  White  Horse  Rapids,  Here  there  is  another 
portag,e  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and  the  traveler 
brings  his  boat  to  Lake  Labarge.  From  there  on  the 
journey  is  through  Thirty  Mile  river,  the  Lewis  river, 
150  miles  to  Five  Finger  Rapids,  to  the  Yukon  at 
Fort  Selkirk,  and  then  down  stream  250  miles  to  Daw- 
son. 

DYEA. 

Dyea  is  fifty  miles  north  of  Juneau,  and  it  was  de- 
sired to  save  passengers  the  annoyance  of  disembark- 
ing at  Juneau  and  awaiting  another  steamer  for  Dyea, 
the  head  of  navigation  on  this  route  to  the  Yukon 
frontier.  The  granting  of  the  application  would  have 
made  it  necessary,  in  all  cases  of  vessels  clearing  for 
Dyea,  to  give  a  speciaF  permit  to  the  deputy  at  Juneau 
in  the  case  of  each  vessel. 


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2M     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKF.  COUNTRY 

In  crder  to  obviate  this  difficulty  the  secretary  of 
the  treasury  consti.nted  Dyea  a  sub  port  of  entry  in 
the  district  of  Alaska.  The  Canadian  government  will 
be  notified  immediately  of  the  decision  to  create  a  sub 
port  of  entry  at  Dyea  for  the  benefit  of  British  shippers 
of  supplies  for  the  gold  district. 

Vessels  carrying  men,  provisions  and  supplies  will 
be  allowed  to  proceed  past  Juneau  to  Dyea,  where 
the  supplies  are  lO  be  put  into  bond  and  shipped  over 
the  sho.-t  intervening  stretch  of  United  States  territory 
to  the  British  Columbia  boundary  line,  and  thence  to 
the  Klondyke  fields. 

Each  man  starts  from  Dyea  with  about  8oo  pounds 
of  supplies,  including  provisions  and  also  tools  with 
which  to  build  a  boat.  These  supplies  must  be  hauled 
on  a  hand  rled  in  the  snow  by  the  man  himself  if  he 
has  no  Esquimau  dogs.  It  is  a  terrible  load  over  a 
strange  country.  One  man  can  haul  on  his  sled  only 
about  200  pounds  at  a  load.  Pie  takes  that  about  four 
or  five  miles,  unloads,  and  then  returns  for  200  pounds 
more,  and  so  on  until  he  has  his  outfit  moved  to  the 
spot  where  he  left  his  first  loa'i.  This  tedious  method 
is  pursued  until  one  reaches  Chilkoot  Pass,  which  is 
3,500  feet  above  sea  level,  an  J  through  which  the  trail 
crosses  the  coast  range  of  mountains.  One  must  pack 
on  his  back  about  50  to  roo  pounds  of  supplies  to  the 
summit  and  then  return  for  moie  until  his  800  pounds 
of  outfit  is  carried  up  the  mountain.  All  this  must  be 
done  in  blinding  snovstorms,  as  it  snows  and  blows 
all  the  time  except  in  the  two  summer  months. 

V  THE  INDIANS.         -       ,  v 

From  a  miner  who  came  down  from  Alaska  recently 
it  was  learned  that  200  Indians  of  the  Sl'xk  tribe  are 
coming  to  the  coast  at  the  head  of  Dyea  Inlet  for  the 
purpose  of  packing  freight  across  the  divide  and  raft- 
ing it  across  the  lakes  and  down  the  Yukon  river  to 
the  mining  fields.  If  the  intention  is  carried  out  Alas- 
ka may  have  a  full  fledged  Indian  war,  as  the  Chilkat 
tribe  has  always  warned  the  Sticks  and  other  interior 
tribes  rot  to  come  to  the  coast  to  engage  in  any  in- 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OP'ALASKA 


225 


dustries.     The  work  of  packing  freight  over  the  diivido 
has  k)ng  been  monopolized  by  the  Chilkats. 

OVER  TH II  ^MOUNTAIN  TRAILS. 
There  are  three  paths  over  the  movmtains  from 
Juneau  to  the  u^jper  Yukon.  These  are  known  as  the 
Chilkoot,  the  Chilkat,  and  White  Pass.  The  former 
has  been  generally  used,  but  the  latter  is  now  coming 
into  favor  as  the  shortest  and  most  favc?able.  It  is 
a  trip  of  600  miles  through  mountains  v,overed  with 
snow  and  subject  to  sudden  storms  of  terrible  violence. 
Supplies  must  be  transported  by  dog  sledge  or  packed 
on  small  ponies,  the  former  being  preferable.  To  get 
any  kind  of  an  outfit  requires  a  large  expenditure  of 
money,  and  besides  this  Indian  guides  and  porters 
must  i^e  well  paid  for  accompanying  the  expeditions. 
In  addition  to  the  animal  loads  every  man  carries  from 
fifty  to  sixty  pounds  of  provisions  and  tools  on 
his  back,  and  when  this  is  packed  along  for  four 
weeks,  up  and  down  steep  hills  and  over  rude  trails 
in  ice  and  snow,  the  task  is  herculean  in  its  nature. 
The  Indians  charge  $1  a  pound  for  carrying  loads 
through  the  fords,  and  on  every  side  tlicre  is  a  chance 
to  spend  money  fast.  American  traders  are  now  mak- 
ing an  experiment  by  way  of  the  White  Pass.  throur,h 
which  they  think  the  trip  from  Juieau  to  Daws  >n  City 
can  be  made  in  two  weeks.  For  some  unknown  rea- 
son this  pass  has  been  overlooked  by  most  of  the 
people  now  crowding  into  the  Yukon  coutUry  over- 
land, and  the  thousands  who  were  unable  to  get  pas- 
sage by  the  lasi  boat  to  St.  Michael's  Island  are  going 
througli  the  Chilkoot  trail. 

CHILKOOT  PASS. 
This  pass  is  the  shortest  of  all  the  passes,  but  the 
highest  by  at  least  i.ooo  feet.  It  is  the  one  always 
used  by  the  mi'-.crs  and  is  the  route  generally  followed. 
It  starts  a*-  the  head  of  Taiya  inlet  and  follows  the 
bottom  'ands  of  the  Taiva  river  for  some  eight  miles, 
where  it  enters  the  canyon.  The  Sheep  camp  is  at 
timber  line,  and  from  there  the  scene  is  one  of  ex- 
treme desolation,  occupied  only  !)y  gla'v.iers  and  moun- 


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tain  sheep.  No  vegetation  of  any  kind  can  be  seen 
for  miles  around  the  summit.  Healy  &  Wilson  have 
a  trading  post  and  outfitting  establishment  at  Taiya. 
They  will  give  all  necessary  assistance  in  securing 
packers  over  this  trail.  The  total  length  of  this  trail 
from  Wilson's  to  Lake  Liiideman  is  about  twenty-four 
miles,  although  a  second  short  portage  at  the  foot  of 
Lindeman  will  have  to  be  made.  If  this  trail  should 
ever  become  the  improved  route,  this  piece  of  river 
could  be  made  navigable  for  lighters. 

Chilkoot  Pass  is  Sj^^SO  feet  above  sea  level.  There 
are  other  gateways  to  the  Yukon.  The  Skagwa,  or 
White  Pass,  will  undoubtedly  gain  ascendency  over 
the  Chilkoot  and  will  probably  prove  the  best  of 
the  number  that  have  been  tried.  The  only  reason 
that  the  Skagwa  is  not  now  in  use  for  a  summer  pass 
is  that  there  has  been  no  trail  constructed.  It  is  urged 
that  if  there  was  a  passable  road  over  the  route  the 
difficulties  of  getting  to  the  Yukon  would  be  lessened 
by  one-half. 

From  salt  water  to  the  highest  point  on  the  pass  is 
fourteen  miles,  and  the  elevation  is  less  than  2,600 
feet.  The  grade  is  easy  the  whole  distance,  and  it  is 
possible  to  build  a  wagon  road  or  even  a  railroad 
at  no  great  cost  from  Skagwa  bay,  which  is  an  excel- 
lent harbor,  to  the  navigable  waters  of  the  interior; 
and  the  distance  would  be  less  than  thirty-five  miles. 
From  the  summit  of  this  pass  there  are  three  diflFerent 
routes  to  navig-ible  fresh  water,  all  apparently  about 
equally  good.  They  radiate  to  the  head  of  Lake  Ben- 
nett, to  the  Windy  Arm  of  Takish  and  to  Tuchi  Lake 
respectively,  neither  of  which  is  more  than  twenty 
miles  from  the  summit.  These  routes  are  an  easy 
descent  of  about  300  feet  tor  the  twenty  miles,  without 
any  considerable  retrogressive  hills  to  encounter. 

The  Skagwa,  with  its  choice  of  three  terminals,  is 
undoubtedly  the  natural  entrance  to  the  Yukon.  If 
the  coast  boundary  is  confirmed  at  the  present  thirty- 
mile  limit  the  whole  road  would  be  on  American  soil. 
If  on  the  other  hand  it  is  decided  that  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  a  coast  range  of  mountains  that  it  is  possible 


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AND  TUB  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


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to  construe  as  a  boundary,  the  line  would  be  at  the 
summit  of  the  pass,  and  consequently  fourteen  miles, 
or  a  little  less  than  one-half  the  trail,  would  be  in 
Alaska.    .  ■... 

'  CHILKAT  PASS. 

The  Chilkat  trail  leads  over  the  Chilkat  Pass  and 
is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  in  length 
from  the  head  of  Chilkat  inlet  to  where  it  strikes  the 
waters  of  Tahkeena  river.  This  was  the  old  trail  used 
by  the  Indians  to  and  from  the  interior  and  leads  all 
the  way  through  to  old  Fort  Selkirk  by  land.  Jack 
Dalton  has  used  this  trail  at  times  in  taking  horses 
and  live  stock  to  the  mines,  portaging  to  the  Tah- 
keena, then  by  raft  down  that  river  to  the  Lewis,  thus 
proving  that  the  Tahkeena  is  navigable  for  a  small 
stern-wheel  steamer  for  a  distance  of  some  seventy 
miles. 

WHITE.  PA.SS.  ; 

This  is  undoubtedly  the  best  pass,  all  things  con- 
sidered, that  cuts  the  Coast  range.  It  is  r  t  least  1,000 
feet  lower  than  the  Chilkoot  and  little  higher  than  the 
Taku.  It  is  reported  timbered  the  entire  length.  Its 
salt  water  terminus  is  about  eighty-five  miles  north  of 
Juneau  and  ocean  steamers  can  run  up  to  the  land- 
ing at  all  times,  where  there  is  a  good  townsite,  well 
protected  from  stoims.  The  pass  lies  through  a  box 
canyon  surrounded  by  high  granite  peaks  and  is  com- 
paratively easy.  The  first  seven  miles  from  salt  water 
lie  up  che  bottom  lands  of  the  Shkagway  river  through 
heavy  timber.  Then  for  about  seven  miles  farther 
the  way  is  over  piles  of  boulders  and  moraines  which 
would  prove  the  most  expensive  { art  of  the  trail.  This 
trail  would  nol  exceed  thirty-two  miles  in  length  and 
w  /'■.  strike  Windy  Arm  of  Tagish  Lake  or  Taku 
An.  oming  hi  farther  up  ihc  lake.  All  of  this  part 
of  the  lake  is  well  timbered  and  accessible  to  Lake 
Benn'^tt  and  its  connections.  White  Pass  could  be 
used  as  a  mail  route  any  month  in  the  year. 


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22g     OFFICIAL  QtJIDB  TO  THE  KLONDTKS  COUNTRY 

WAGON  ROAD  OVER  WHITE  PASS. 

C.  H.  Wilkinson,  on  behalf  o[  the  British  Yukon 
Company,  has  made  an  offer  to  the  minister  of  the  in- 
terior to  build  a  wagon  road  through  the  White  Pass 
for  $2,000  a  mile.  The  distance  is  about  fifty  miles. 
About  eight  miles  of  the  road  would  be  difficult  to 
build.  It  would  take  $7,000  a  mile,  being  all  rock 
excavation,  to  construct  this  eight  miles. 

At  the  rate  the  people  are  flocking  into  the  new  gold 
region  of  the  Yukon  country,  something  will  have  to 
be  done  soon  to  provide  a  way  of  getting  provisions 
into  the  mining  d'  Irict. 

If  this  road  wt  :  '  ''t  Victoria  could  be  reached 
from  the  Yukon  dis-i  i  about  fourteen  days.     The 

minister  has  taken  the      xtter  into  consideration. 

FOR  A  QUICKER  SERVICE. 

For  the  last  three  years  several  local  and  English 
companies  have  been  studying  the  lay  of  the  land  be- 
tween Chilkat  and  Circle  City,  with  a  view  to  estab- 
lishing a  quicker  and  more  practicable  way  of  trans- 
portation to  the  gold  fields  along  the  Yukon.  Goodall, 
Perkins  &  Co.,  have  made  a  thorough  investigation 
of  the  matter.     Capt.  Charles  M.  Goodall  says: 

"The  rich  find  in  the  Klondyke  district  will  probably 
result  in  some  better  means  of  transportation,  though 
the  roughness  of  the  country  and  the  limited  open 
season  will  not  justify  anybo.'.y  building  a  railroad  for 
any  distance.  Recently  we  sent  several  hundred 
sheep  and  cattle  to  Juneau,  and  from  there  to  the  head 
of  navigation  by  the  steamer  Alki.  Mr.  Dalton,  who 
discovered  the  trail  across  the  countrv  from  the  Chil- 
kat river  to  Fort  Selkirk,  is  takinc^  live  stock  to  the 
mines.  His  route  lies  from  the  head  of  navigation 
through  Chilkat  Pass  and  along  the  trail,  which  is  over 
prairie  several  hundred  miles,  to  the  Yukon  river,  near 
Fort  Selkirk.  At  this  time  of  year  the  prairie  is  clear 
and  bunch  grass  grows  on  it  in  abundance. 

"I  believe  'his  will  ultimately  be  the  popular  route. 
People  couIg  go  over  it  in  wagons,  as  the  prairie  is 
level.     Stations  could  be  established,  as  was  done  on 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


S» 


our  plains  in  '49.  It  would  be  easy  to  go  down  the 
Yukon  in  boats  from  where  Dalton's  trail  strikes  it  to 
Dawson  City  and  other  mining  camps." 

The  plan  to  build  a  traction  road  over  Chilkat  Pass 
from  Tyea,  the  head  of  navigation  after  leaving  Ju- 
neau, to  Lake  Lindeman,  is  not  a  good  business  prop- 
osition. It  has  been  talked  of,  and  the  rest  of  the  plan 
is  to  have  steamers  to  ply  from  Lake  Lindeman 
through  the  other  lakes  to  the  Yukon.  But  to  do 
this  two  portages  would  have  to  be  made  on  account 
of  the  falls  vi  the  river,  and  these  would  be  enormously 
expensive. 

A  British  company  has  had  in  contemplation  for 
some  time  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  the 
head  of  navigation  en  Taku  inlet,  near  Juneau,  to 
Teslin,  or  Aklene  Lake,  and  thence  down  some  small 
rivers  to  the  Yukon  and  the  mines.  Even  by  this 
rorte  there  would  be  need  of  portages.  The  natural 
way  to  take  in  freight,  unless  the  hurry  be  great,  is  by 
St.  Michael  and  up  the  Yukon.  To  establish  even  a 
wagon  road  over  Dalton's  trail  on  the  prairie,  a  rail- 
road over  the  divide  fror  Tyea  to  Lake  Lindeman,  or 
a  railroat!  as  planned  by  the  English  company,  con- 
cessions would  have  to  be  secured  from  the  British 
government. 

RAILROAD  IS  S.JRVEYED.  :. 

George  W.  Garside,  a  well-know.i  engineer,  form- 
erly in  the  employ  of  the  governm'^tit,  has  recently 
completed  the  survey  of  sixty-two  miles  of  railway 
running  from  Skagwa  bay  over  the  White  Pass  to 
Lake  Tagis  and  thence  to  the  upper  Hootalinqua 
river. 

He  is  employed  by  the  British- American  Transpor- 
tation Company,  said  to  be  amplv  supplied  with  funtU 
with  which  to  complete  the  iindertakincf.  It  is  said 
work  will  begin  in  the  spring  of  i8q8.  The  new  route 
will  be  foo  miles  longer  than  that  at  present  followed 
by  miners  going  into  the  Yukon  basin  overland  from 
Dyea. 

River  steamers  are  to  be  used  up  the  Yukon  and 


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230     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

Hootaliuqua  rivers  from  Dawson  City  and  on  the 
lakes,  which  will  comprise  part  of  the  new  route.  The 
dangerous  White  Horse  rapids  and  the  whirlpools  of 
Miles  canyon  will  be  eliminated. 

LAKE  TESLIN  TRAIL.        ;    ' 

A  good  trail  from  the  coast  to  the  Yukon  region  is 
by  the  Lake  Teslin  trail.  It  starts  at  Fort  Wrangell 
and  presents  few  difficulties.  This  route  leads  up 
Telegraph  creek  from  Fort  Wrangell,  and  there  is 
clear  water  travel  for  about  loo  miles  up  the  creek. 
The  creek  is  abandoned  there  and  the  traveler  strikes 
straight  across  the  smooth  table  land  for  about  175 
miles.  Then  the  Teslin  Lake  is  reached  and  it  is  plain 
sailing  down  the  Halalinqua  river,  a  tributary  of  the 
Lewis  river,  and  down  the  Lewis  is  clear  going  to 
Dawson  City.       ■  ■  -' 

The  only  dangerous  part  of  this  route  is  the  Five 
Finger  rapids  and  these  are  not  bad  if  one  has  a  guide. 
John  C.  Galbreath,  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Tele- 
graph Creek,  has  been  directed  by  the  British  Colum- 
bia government  to  open  this  new  route  and  $2,000 
will  be  >jxpended  on  it  immediately.  Steamboats  can 
operate  up  Telegraph  creek.  Even  now  the  trip  to 
the  gohi  fields  can  be  made  with  less  danger  and  more 
quickly  by  this  route  than  by  any  other.  It  is  open 
usually  until  the  middle  of  October  and  sometimes  as 
late  as  November. 

QUEER  OUTFITS. 

Equipment  for  mining  in  Northern  Alaska  is  an  im- 
portant item  but  little  understood  by  amateur  pros- 
pectors. Many  laughable  things  are  seen  in  the  out- 
fits of  those  who  assemble  in  Seattle  to  take  boat  for 
St.  Michael's  or  Juneau,  and  some  shrewd  but  unkind 
traders  have  found  it  a  favorable  time  for  working 
off  odds  and  ends  which  have  been  accumulating  in 
stock  for  years.  Your  old-timer  takes  as  simple  an 
outfit  as  he  can — heavy  woolen  undenvear,  coarse 
trousers  and  pea  jacket,  stout  shoes,  blue  flannel  shirts. 
dark  blankets,  and  a  black  sweater,  the  latter  being 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


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chosen  on  account  of  economy  in  washing.  His  tools 
will  be  a  pickaxe  and  long-handled  spade,  while  a  few 
tin  pans  and  dishes  wiP  comprise  his  camp  equipage. 
A  good  repeating  rifle  is  always  handy,  but  not  an 
essential.  The  tenderfoot  goes  loaded  down  with  an 
arsenal  of  firearms,  a  camping  kit  for  which  he  can 
have  no  possible  use,  and  clothing  more  suitable  for 
tending  store  in  Georgia  than  mining  in  the  wilds  of 
Alaska.  Half  of  his  useless  truck  has  to  be  pbsn- 
doned  on  the  road,  and  if  he  reaches  the  Klondyke 
with  a  quarter  of  his  original  load  he  is  in  luck.  The 
first  thing  to  be  done  in  every  instance  on  reaching 
the  Eldorado  is  to  get  a  shelter  of  some  kind.  In  the 
summer  a  heavy  tent  with  a  board  or  well  packed 
earth  floor  will  answer,  but  in  the  winter,  with  the 
mercury  down  to  70  or  80  degrees  below  zero,  nothing 
but  a  substantial  log  cabin  with  a  roaring  fire  will 
keep  out  the  cold,  and  even  then  there  will  be  times 
when  the  occupant  will  wish  he  had  more  blankets. 
It  is  a  struggle  to  sustain  life  in  a  northern  Alaskan 
winter,  and  the  conditions  must  be  favorable,  with 
plenty  of  food,  clothing,  and  fuel,  if  a  healthy  vitality 
is  to  be  retained.  It  ir  foolhardy  to  attempt  the  trip 
in  the  fall  of  the  year.  Even  allowing  that  the  dangers 
of  the  mountain  trail  can  be  overcome,  there  is  the 
further  emergency  of  short  food  supplies  to  be  met  on 
arrival  at  Dawson.  The  best  time  to  start  is  in  ihe 
early  spring,  when  the  journey  can  be  made  by  boat. 

BUILDING  ONE'S  OWN  BOAT. 

The  next  thing,  after  getting  safely  over  the  pass, 
is  to  build  a  boat.  Four  men  who  are  handy  with 
tools  can  take  the  standing  spruce,  saw  out  lumber 
and  build  a  boat  large  enough  to  carry  them  and  their 
4,000  pounds  of  provisions  all  in  a  week.  It  should 
be  a  good,  stanch  boat,  for  there  are  storms  to  be  en- 
countered on  the  lakes,  and  rapids,  moreover,  that 
would  shake  a  frail  craft  to  pieces.  The  boat  should 
have  a  sail  that  could  be  raised  and .  lowered  con- 
veniently. 

With  boat  built  one  starts  from  the  head  of  Lake 


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m     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONrTKB  COUNTRY 

Bennett  on  the  last  stage  of  the  trip — a  sail  of  600 
miles  downstream  (not  counting  lakes)  to  Dawson 
City,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Klondyke.  With  fair 
weather,  at  the  evening  of  the  second  day  one  reaches 
Miles  canyon,  the  beginning  of  the  worst  piece  of 
water  on  the  trip.  The  voyager  has  passed  through 
Lake  Bennett  and  Takish  and  Marsh  Lakes.  At  the 
head  of  Miles  canyon  begins  three  miles  of  indescrib- 
ably rough  water  which  terminates  in  White  Horse 
rapids. 

During  the  rush  of  gold  hunters  it  is  probable  there 
will  be  mei.  at  Miles  canyon  who  will  make  a  business 
of  taking  boats  through  the  rapids,  and  unless  one  is 
an  experienced  river  man  it  is  economy  to  pay  a  few 
dollars  for  such  service,  rather  than  to  take  the  greater 
chances  of  losing  an  outfit. 

A  PROFITABLE  DFXAY.    .         '     ;> 

After  the  rapids  comes  Lake  LaBargc,  a  beautiful 
sheet  of  water  thirty-five  miles  long,  and  in  this  con- 
nection a  suggestion  is  desirable.  Near  the  foot  of 
the  lake,  on  the  left  side,  is  a  creek  coming  in  which 
marks  a  good  game  country.  A  year  ago  and  in  pre- 
vious seasons  moose  were  plentiful  there  and  in  the 
rugged  moimtains  nearer  the  head  of  the  lake  there 
always  have  been  good  hunting  grounds  for  mountain 
sheep.  A  delay  of  a  week  either  in  this  locality  or  al- 
most any  of  the  small  streams  that  flow  into  the  suc- 
ceeding 200  miles  of  river,  for  the  purpose  of  laying 
in  a  good  supply  of  fresh  meat,  is  worth  considering. 
Moose  meat  that  can  be  preserved  until  cold  weather 
sets  in  will  sell  for  a  fancy  price. 

There  is  another  suggestion  to  consider  before  ar- 
riving at  Sixty  Mile.  All  along  that  part  of  the  river 
are  many  timbered  islands,  covered  with  tall,  straight 
spruce.  With  such  a  influx  ol  prospectors  as  are  ex- 
pected at  Dawson  City  before  winter  begins,  building 
logs  will  be  in  great  demand.  Cabin  logs  ten  inches 
in  diameter  and  twenty  feet  long  sold  at  Circle  City 
last  year,  in  the  raft,  at  $3  each.  With  an  increased 
demand,  and  with  better  mines,  the  prices  at  Da-'vson 


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AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA, 


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City  may  be  much  higher.  Four  men  can  handle 
easily  a  raft  of  500  or  600  such  logs.  Getting  them 
out  would  be  a  matter  of  only  a  week  or  two. 

TO  FIVE  FINGER  RAPIDS. 

Within  a  few  hours'  run  below  Lake  LaBarge  is  the 
Hootalinqua  river,  which  drains  Teslin  lake,  the  larg- 
est body  of  water  in  the  Yukon  basin.  This  river 
has  long  been  a  locality  of  great  interest  to  prospec- 
tors, because  of  the  wide  distribution  of  gold  in  its 
bars  and  tributaries.  The  metal  is  found  everyA'here 
on  the  whole  length  of  the  stream,  but  seems  rather 
elusive  when  it  comes  to  the  test  of  actual  mining.  It 
has  been  prospected  and  worked  sporadically  for 
fifteen  years,  and  in  all  that  time  the  only  Hootalinqua 
gold  of  any  consequence  taken  out  was  found  on 
Lewes  river,  a  few  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  for- 
mer stream,  at  Sassiar  bar,  where  something  like 
$150,000  was  mined.  It  is  deserted  now  for  the  better 
mines  of  the  Alaskan  side. 

Five  Finger  rapids  is  one  of  the  two  or  three  ob- 
structions that  interfere  with  the  free  navigation  of  the 
river.  A  ledge  of  rock  lies  directly  across  the  stream 
with  four  or  five  openings  in  it,  that  afford  a  scanty 
outlet  for  the  congested  current.  The  largest  passage 
and  the  one  commonly  used  is  the  one  at  the  right 
shore.  There  is  a  considerable  fall,  but  the  water  is 
not  badly  broken,  the  gateway  being  succeeded  by 
several  big  waves,  over  which  a  boat  glides  with  great 
rapidity,  but  with  a  smooth  and  even  motion.  Shoot- 
ing this  rapid  is  an  exhilarating  experience,  but  with 
careful  management  is  not  considered  dangerous, 

AT  MILES  CANYON. 

Along  the  Lewes,  which  is  the  name  given  to  that 
arm  of  the  Yukon  that  rises  near  the  coast  and  drains 
the  chain  of  lakes,  is  a  moderately  hilly  country,  with 
an  occasional  mound  1,000  or  2,000  feet  high,  yet  it  is 
a  landscape  of  infinite  variety.  Forests  of  young 
spruce,  tall  and  straight,  come  down  to  the  water's 
edge,  and  there  are  smooth,  rounded  hills  covered 
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284     OPFICiAL  GUIDE  TO  f  MB  KLONDTKB  COltlWR* 

with  grass  like  the  great  pastures  of  Montana,  but 
separated  by  lines  of  cottonwood  and  birch.  These 
curving  lines  of  young  deciduous  trees,  when  taken 
altogether,  have  a  strange  resemblance  to  gigantic 
handwriting  as  they  follow  the  moisture  of  the  slight 
valley,  and  depressions  between  the  cone-shaped  hills. 
Miles  canyon,  Vt^hich  is  also  called  Grand  canyon, 
is  the  first  dangerous  water  that  the  navigator  en- 
counters. Although  this  section  of  the  river  has  a 
normal  width  of  more  than  200  yards,  it  is  confined 
for  a  distance  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  a  space 
hardly  fifty  feet  across,  with  perpendicular  walls  of  T''.d 
volcanic  rock.  This  canyon  is  broken  in  one  place — 
about  midway — ^by  a  circular  enlargement  of  the  chan- 
nel, which  causes  a  whirlpool  of  wonderful  suction  at 
each  side  of  the  river. 

INDIAN  PACKERS. 

The  Indians  are  very  capricious  and  uncertain. 
They  have  been  reaping  a  harvest  for  several  years  by 
packing  over  the  pass  for  the  Yukoners  and  they  are 
very  shrewd  in  barter,  and  have  naturally  come  to 
know  the  value  of  combination  to  sustain  prices. 
Members  of  other  tribes  coming  in  to  do  packing  are 
held  in  the  same  division  as  are  "scabs"  by  the  labor 
unions  in  the  states,  and  so  far  the  Chilkats  have  been 
able  to  almost  name  their  own  prices  for  work. 

The  average  load  for  the  men  is  120  pounds,  but 
thirty  or  forty  pounds  more  is  not  uncommon,  and  as 
an  example  which  may  be  taken  as  about  the  limit 
one  husky  Siwash  carried  an  organ  weighing  220 
pounds  over  the  pass.  Not  as  many  squaws  as  men 
are  at  work,  and  their  loads  average  a  little  lighter. 
Cenerally  every  member  of  the  family — and  this  may 
be  understood  to  include  the  dogs — carries  a  pack. 
The  dogs  are  loaded  with  from  fifteen  to  fifty  pounds, 
but  it  is  necessary  in  some  places  for  them  to  have  as- 
sistance, and  so  their  master  puts  down  his  pack  and 
carries  the  dog  and  his  load  through  some  of  the  more 
diflRcult  or  narrow  passages  among  the  rocks,  or 
across  streams. 


AND  THB  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


318 


A  striking  custom  which  is  worthy  of  note  is  that  of 
cacheing  supplies  along  the  trail.  Flour,  bacon, 
blankets  or  whatever  it  may  happen  to  be  are  left  at 
any  point  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the  owner.  A 
miner  leaves  a  certain  portion  of  the  food  upon  which 
his  life  depends  and  goes  on  hundreds  of  miles  in 
serene  confidence  that  he  will  find  it  again  when  he 
comes  back  in  the  fall.  Sometimes  a  tent  or  fly  of 
ducking  is  put  up  for  a  shelter.  If  it  is  intended  to 
leave  the  cache  for  several  months  a  platform  on  four 
posts  is  erected  eight  or  ten  feet  above  the  ground  to 
protect  it  from  dogs  and  wild  animals.  Hungry  In- 
dians pass  this  food  every  day  and  sometimes  hungry 
white  men,  but  it  is  rare  indeed  that  a  cache  is  ma- 
liciously violated.  Of  course  there  is  a  feeling  of  their 
dependence  upon  each  other  among  these  isolated 
men  of  the  Yukon.  If  any  one  should  come  into  the 
country  without  any  supplies  he  would  be  received 
with  poor  grace,  but  should  he  come  as  the  rest  do, 
and  by  any  misfortune  lose  his  outfit,  he  is  always 
welcome  to  a  share  anywhere  he  goes. 

SUCCESSION     OF     STATIONS     OVERLAND 
AND  BY  RIVER. 

Juneau,  Capital  of  Alaska,  lOO  miles  to  Dyea,  24 
miles  over  hills  to  Lake  Lindeman,  first  navigable 
waters,  6  miles  to  Lake  Bennett,  26  miles  to  Caribou 
Crossing,  2  miles  to  Windy  Arm,  5  miles  to  Tagish 
Lake,  a  few  miles  to  Grand  Canyon  and  White  Horse 
rapids,  12  miles  further,  Chilkat  Pass  never  used  by 
miners.  Lake  Labargt,  28  miles  to  Hootalinqua 
river,  35  miles  to  Little  Salmon  river.  53  miles  to 
Five  Fingers  Rapids,  6  miles  to  Rink  Rapids,  55  miles 
to  O.d  Fort  Selkirk— Healy  winters  his  boat  "P.  B. 
Weare"  Pelly  &  Lewis  R.  R.  96  miles  '  Vhite  River, 
TO  miles  to  Stewart  River,  70  miles  ..>  Sixty  Mile 
Creek,  30  miles  to  Indian  Creek.  20  miles  to  Klondyke 
River,  6  miles  to  Old  Fort  Reliance,  40  miles  to  Forty 
Mile  Creek,  just  below  Fort  Cudahy,  170  miles  to 
Circle  City,  400  miles  Yukon  Flats  to  Lower  Ram- 
parts. 


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OUTFIT  FOR  THE  OVERLAND  TRIP. 

Having  decided  to  make  the  trip  the  outfit  needed 
for  the  long  journey  down  the  river  to  the  mines  is  of 
the  greatest  consideration.  The  actual  necessities  for 
the  trip  are  given  in  a  list  below.  The  supply  of 
clothes  should  be  governed  by  one's  needs,  taste  and 
purse.  It  is  also  desirable  to  take  along  a  small,  well- 
filled  medicine  chest. 

LIST  OF  PROVISIONS  FOR  ONE  MAN  ONE 

MONTH:  ,     ;.    v 

Twenty  pounds  of  flour  with  baking  powder. 

Twelve  pounds  of  bacon. 

Six  pounds  of  beans.  . 

Five  pounds  of  dried  fruits. 

Three  pounds  of  dcssicated  vegetables. 

Four  pounds  of  butter. 

Five  pounds  of  sugar.  " 

Four  cans  of  milk. 

One  pound  of  tea.  ".        r^f 

Three  pounds  of  coflfee.  •' 

Two  pounds  of  salt.  .  • 

Five  pounds  of  corn  meal.  •  |       " 

Pepper. 

Matches.  -     ,. 

Mustard.    '  /     .;  ,  , 

Cooking  utensils  and  dishes. 

One  frying  pan.  ^ 

One  water  kettle.  ',  ^■ 

Tent.  ,  ;,■■■■'  :■:;-■■. 

Yukon  stove.  ' ',",'  ■ '.. ,,  '.■'   '.<"':;■ ,;,:-  '''-f-:- .  \  ',  '.> 

Two  pairs  good  blankets.    "^      ["'."    ,:  T'  ...   7 
One  rubber  blanket.  .  -^       '     ',    •  ♦      ;: 

One  bean  pot,  .3     ;      ■      '  ■» 

Two  plates.  ■,:..■.;;'  .:;\;'v^^',. ;:_'■'»':.;  ,,,',■.■,.•'■'■■. 

One  drinking  cup. 

One  teapot. 

One  knife  and  fork. 

One  large  and  one  small  cooking  pan. 

Tools  for  boat  building: 


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AND  THK  OOLD  P1EL.D8  OF  ALASKA. 


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One  jack  plane. 

One  whipsaw.  , 

One  hand  saw. 

One  rip  saw. 

One  draw  knife.  [    ■ " 

One  axe. 

One  hatchet. 

One  pocket  rule. 

Six  pounds  of  assorted  nails.  <., 

Three  pounds  of  oakum. 

Five  pounds  of  pitch. 

Fifty  feet  of  five-eighths  rope. 

Mosquito  netting. 

One  pair  crag-proof  hip  boots. 

Snow  glasses. 

Medicines.  v 

A  NEW  YORK  STATEMENT. 

Fare  from  New  York  to  Seattle  via  Northern  Pa- 
cific, $81.50. 

Fee  for  Pullman  sleeper,  $20.50. 

Fee  for  tourist  sleeper,  run  only  west  of  St.  Paul,  $5. 

Meals  served  in  dining  car  for  entire  trip,  $16. 

Meals  are  served  at  stations  along  the  route  a  la 
carte. 

Distance  from  New  York  to  Seattle,  3,290  miles. 

Days  required  to  make  the  journey,  about  six. 

Fare  for  steamer  from  Seattle  to  Juneau,  including 
cabin  and  meals,  $35. 

Days,  Seattle  to  Juneau,  about  five. 

Number  of  miles  from  Seattle  to  Juneau,  725. 

Cost  of  living  in  Juneau,  about  $3  per  day. 

Distance  up  Lynn  Canal  to  Healey's  Store,  steam- 
boat, 75  miles. 

Number  of  days  New  York  to  Healey's  Store,  12. 

Cost  of  complete  outfit  for  overland  journey,  about 
$150. 

Cost  provisions  for  one  year,  about  $200. 

Cost  of  dogs,  sled  and  outfit,  about  $1 50. 

Total  cost  of  trip  New  York  to  Klondyke,  about 
$667. 


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238     OFFICIAL.  viUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKE  COUNTRY 

Number  of  days  required  ior  journey,  New  York 
to'Klondyke,  36  to  40. 

Total  distance,  Juneau  to  the  mines  at  Klondyke, 
4,650  miles. 

Another  one  is: 

Fare  to  Sea^^tle  over  the  Northern  Pacific,  $67.75. 

Tourist  sleeper,  fare,  $9. 

Pullman  sleeper,  $18. 

Meals,  in  dining  car,  $18. 

Tourist  meals  at  stations,  $9.  ; 

New  York  to  Seattle,  in  miles,  3,160. 

Number  of  days  en  route,  7. 

Steamer  fare,  Seattle  to  Juneau,  with  cabin  and 
meals,  $75. 

Fare,  with  berth,  $67.50.  ^ 

Miles,  Seattle  to  Juneau,  1,000. 

Number  of  days,  Seattle  to  Juneau,  3. 

Cost  of  hving  in  Juneau,  per  day,  $2. 

Steamboat,  up  Lynn  Canal  to  Healey's  Store,  miles, 
100. 

Number  of  days  to  Healey's  Store,  i. 

Cost  of  complete  outfit,  with  provisions  for  one 
year,  $6oo- 

Price  of  dog  and  sled  outfit,  500.  ' 

Last  steamer  from  San  Francisco — berths  already 
filled,  Aug.  30. 

Days  of  sailing  from  Seattle — Mondays  and  Thurs- 
days. 

Total  distance  in  miles,  5,000. 

Total  days  required  for  journey,  90. 

Best  time  to  start,  April  15. 

The  following,  too,  is  figured  as  the  cost  of  neces- 
sary articles,  when  once  the  searcher  for  the  golden 
fleece  has  reached  the  Klondyke: 

Cost  of  shirts,  $5. 

Boots,  per  pair,  $10.  ! 

Rubber  boots,  per  pair,  $25. 

Caribou  hams,  each,  $40. 

Flour,  per  50  pounds,  $i'o. 

Beef,  per  pound  (fresh),  50  cents. 

Bacon,  per  pound,  75  cents. 


■¥ 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


3» 


Coffee,  per  pound,  $i. 
Sugar,  per  pound,  50  cents. 
Eggs,  per  dozen,  $2. 
Condensed  milk,  per  can,  $1. 
Live  dogs,  per  pound,  $2. 
Picks,  each,  $15.  . , 

Shovels,  each,  $15. 
Wages,  per  day,  $15.      ^ 
Lumber,  per  1,000  feet,  $750. 
Months  (hat  mining  is  possible  during  the  year. 
May,  June  and  July. 

THE  TEMPERATURE. 

Owing  to  the  popular  association  of  the  idea  of  ex- 
treme frigidity  with  the  word  Alaska  many  people  will 
doubtless  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  average  tem- 
perature in  the  Klondyke  region  during  the  four  cold- 
est mojiths  of  the  year  is  not  ordinarily  much  lower 
than  20  degrees  below  zero. 

The  average  winttr's  snowfall  in  that  part  of  Alaska 
is  only  about  two  feet,  ".  -lereas  on  the  coast  it  is  ten 
times  that  much. 

"The  reports  of  our  agent  at  Fort  Cudahy  show  that 
the  average  temperature  at  thai  point  during  the 
months  of  November,  December,  January  and  Feb- 
ruary last  year  was  very  close  to  20  degrees  below 
zero,"  said  Mr.  Weare.  "The  average  for  November 
was  17  1-2  degrees  below;  for  December  and  January, 
22  below,  and  for  February,  about  20  below.  The 
lowest  temperature  recorded  was  70  degrees  below 
zero.  The  temperature  for  the  month  of  September 
was,  I  think,  about  zero. 

"The  snow  fall  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Cudahy  is  only 
about  two  feet  during  the  wintr-,  although  it  is  as 
much  as  twenty  feet  along  the  c  >ast,  where  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Japan  current  is  f<  X" 


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CHAPTER  IX. 

TRANSPORTATION— PAST,  PRESENT  AND 

FUTURE. 

When  Travel  Meant  Hardships — Enterprise  in  Alaska 
— Building  a  Steamer — A  Successhil  Launching — 
In  the  Shallows  of  the  Yukon — A  Perilous  Trip — 
Life  on  the  Way — An  Arctic  Costume — A  Remark- 
able Shirt — Christmas  on  the  Tananah  River — De- 
serted by  the  Guide — Provisions  Exhausted — Past 
the  Rubicon — The  Rush  of  the  Present — Good  Ad- 
vice— When  Winter  Sets  In — Fortune  Hunters — 
Sailings  from  Seattle — Future  Developments — The 
Greatest  of  jsAl  Questions — Customs  and  Police 
Post — Surveys  for  Railroads — Cassiar  Central  Rail- 
way— Railroad  to  the  Klondyke — British  Compa- 
nies to  Compete — New  Routes — To  Facilitate 
Travel — To  Construct  Telegraph  Lines — Explains 
the  Method — Horses  and  Dogs  in  Demand — For 
Transportation  of  Gold. 

Many  people  who  are  filled  with  a  yearning  desire  to 
become  rich  in  the  now  notorious  reg'ions  of  ,the 
Klondyke  have  a  dread  of  the  journey  and  climate 
and  consequently  they  stay  away.  If  these  people  fear 
the  hardships  of  the  present  means  of  transportation 
what  must  have  been  tlie  prospect  before  the  pioneer 
miners  who  penetrated  the  frozen  northwest  Picture 
long  and  arduous  tramps  over  frozen  rivers  and  snow- 
clad  mountains  through  the  wilds  of  Alaska  in  the 
middle  of  winter.  Many  perished  in  the  attempt,  but 
many  more  succeeded.  The  man  who  had  set  his  mind 
upon  reaching  Alaska  in  those  days  had  to  be  pos- 
sessed of  a  very  superior  sort  of  resolution  and  courage. 

ENTERPRISE  IN  ALASKA. 
As  many  people  know,  the    Alaska    Commercial 
Company  has  long  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of  the  trade 

MO 


1. 


AND  THE  aOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


m 


with  the  Indians  of  the  interior,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Yukon  river,  and  with  the  white  men  who  have 
been  attracted  to  that  country  by  the  reports  of  rich 
placer  gold  mines.  Having  faith  in  the  mineral  re- 
sources of  Alaska  and  believing  Lhat  wliat  was  profit- 
able for  one  might  prove  a  paying  investment  for  two, 
a  few  Chicago  capitalists,  consisting  of  John  Cudahy, 
Porteus  B.  Weare,  J.  L.  Fyffe,  C  A.  Weare  and  J. 
J.  Healy,  of  Chilcat,  Alaska,  in  the  summer  of  1892, 
organized  the  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Company  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  a 
general  merchandise  business  with  the  miners  along 
the  Yukon  and  of  buving  furs  from  the  Indians. 

In  order  to  participate  personally  in  the  establish- 
ment of  their  new  enterprise,  John  Cudahy,  the  well- 
known  packer,  and  P.  B.  Weare,  of  the  Weare  Com- 
mission Company,  the  latter  accompanied  by  his  son 
William,  left  Chicago  for  Seattle  in  June,  at  which 
point  it  was  planned  to  purchase  the  lumber  and  ma- 
chinery necessary  to  build  a  steamboat  to  be  used 
in  the  carrying  trade  on  the  Yukon  river.  The  party 
met  with  many  vexatious  delays  m  the  furtherance 
of  their  project,  so  that  it  was  Julv  6  before  the  steamer 
Alice  Blanchard,  specially  chartered  for  the  trip,  left 
Seattle  bearing  P.  B.  Weare  ann  son,  John  Cudahy, 
Capt.  Healy,  wife  and  maid,  ■  uig  C.  H.  Hamilton, 
who  had  been  in  advance  of  ..  "*lii  ago  employers, 
and  a  party  of  workmen  engaged  ti^  bu M  the  river 
steamboat  which  was  taken  up  on  the  Blanchard  in 
sections.  In  addition  the  vessel  carried  a  full  and 
carefully  selected  stock  of  merchandise  and  miners' 
outfits,  amounting  in  all  to  about  350  tons,  which  the 
new  steamer  was  expected  to  convey  to  the  com- 
pany's trading  posts  on  the  Yukon. 

BUILDING  A  STEAMER. 

The  Blanchard  arrived  at  St.  Michael's  Island  Aug. 
2  after  calling  nt  Coal  Harbor  for  water  and  at  Our 
alaska  for  coal.     St.  Michael's  lies  about  eighty  miles 
north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  and  is  close  to  the 
mainland.     Owing  to  the  shallow  water  tlie  Blanchard 


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242     OFFICIAL  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDTKB  COUNTRY 


ii  ! 


#* 


was  obliged  to  anchor  about  three  miles  from  land. 
(Jn  going  ashore  it  was  found  that  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial GDmpany  had  fenced  in  a  large  part  of  the 
island,  and  its  representatives  refused  to  let  the  Blan- 
chard  unload  on  its  claim.  But  the  Chicago  party 
very  promptly  staked  out  a  claim  of  its  own  north  of 
the  other  company's  site,  where  a  landing  was  effected 
and  a  new  camp  started. 

A  SUCCESSFUL  LAUNCHING. 

,ThQ  new  boat  was  launched  September  15,  and 
christened  the  "Porteus  B.  Weare,"  in  honor  of  the 
Chicago  man.  It  is  a  stern- wheeler,  175  feet  long, 
with  28  feet  beam,  and  lias  a  hold  4  feet  deep.  Light 
it  draws  only  16  inches  of  water,  and  when  loaded  with 
350  tons  the  draught  is  less  than  four  feet.  Designv^d 
expressly  for  the  Yukon,  it  was  the  largest  boat  on 
the  river.  The  rival  company  at  St.  Michael's  pre- 
dicted the  boat  could  never  be  slipped  off  the  ways, 
and  the  builders  themselves  had  many  doubts  -egard- 
ing  a  successful  launching,  but  fortunately  the  United 
States  revenue  cutter  Bear  happened  along  at  a  criti- 
cal juncture  and  with  a  little  help  from  her  the  P.  B. 
Weare  dropped  into  the  water  like  a  duck,  to  the 
intense  relief  of  all  interested. 

IN  THE  SHALLOWS  OF  THE  YUKON. 

After  she  was  launched  the  revenue  cutter  sailed  for 
Ounalaska,  taking  the  Messrs.  Weare,  John  Cudahy, 
the  contractor  and  fifteen  carpenters.  Nine  days  more 
were  required  to  line  up  the  machinery  and  put  the 
cargo  aboard.  The  latter  consisted  of  some  300  tons 
of  merchandise,  a  complete  sawmill  and  a  mining 
pump,  making  in  all  about  350  tons.  Much  difficulty 
was  experienced  at  first  in  hiring  native  laborers,owing 
to  the  obstacles  raised  by  the  rival  company,  but  the 
Chicago  people  proved  equal  to  every  emergency  and 
finally  won  the  Indians  over,  despite  the  bribes  and 
threats  of  the  opposition. 

It  was  expected  that  the  boat  would  be  able  to  reach 
the  company's  headquarters,  at  Forty-Mile  or  Fort 


IH^; 


-'i5j<«i** 


■m^ 


"'ViX-i:! 


AND  THB  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALA2JCA. 


'JtH^iM  *"V'!^':f 


Mt 


Cudahy,  before  navigation  closed,  but  after  steaming 
a  little  over  500  miles  up  the  river  the  ice  was  run- 
ning so  rapidly  that  further  advance  was  deemed  im- 
practicable and  Captains  Healy  and  Barr  decided  to  go 
into  winter  quarters  at  Nakooleykoket,  the  mouth  of 
the  Nagooley  river.  Prior  to  November  i  the  weather 
had  been  pleasant,  with  only  a  few  light  falls  of  snow, 
but  on  that  day  the  mercury  dropped  to  8  degrees  be- 
low zero,  and  from  then  until  Thanksgiving  it  ranged 
from  6  above  to  34  below.  The  P.  B.  Weare  was 
doomed  to  He  idle  until  the  following  May,  when  she 
would  resume  her  journey  to  Fort  Cudahy,  where  the 
main  trading  post  was  to  be  established. 

A  PERILOUS  TRIP. 

But  in  order  to  complete  arrangements  for  sending 
in  supplies  the  coming  summer  it  was  necessary  to 
get  word  back  to  civilization,  and  the  oi:ly  way  this 
could  be  done  was  for  the  messenger  to  make  an 
overland  jojirney  of  from  1,500  to  1,800  miles  across 
the  vast  Yukon  region  of  snow  and  ice  to  a  place 
called  Chilkoot,  a  small  village  on  the  coast  and  80 
miles  from  Juneau.  Young  Hamilton  volunteered  to 
make  this  perilous  trip,  and  November  26,  after  se- 
curing a  good  supply  of  furs,  lie  started  on  snow- 
shoes  for  his  destination,  accompanied  by  four  Niiloto 
Indians.  His  outfit,  which  weighed  1,000  pounds,  was 
packed  upon  three  sledges  drawn  by  twenty-one  dogs. 
His  course  lay  up  the  Yukon  river,  where  the  travel- 
ing was  less  tedious  and  uncertain  than  on  land. 
Here  the  snow  was  not  so  heavy  and  much  harder, 
while  along  shore  the  dens,  brush  and  woods  offered 
additional  obstacles  to  the  '  ravcler. 

LIFE  ON  THE  WA;!^. 

But  the  rough,  iip-pilec  ce  often  made  the  journey 
slow  and  difficnlt.  and  it  was  only  when  a  smooth  sur- 
face was  struck  that  the  dog  teams  could  trot  merrily 
along  and  compass  a  good  day's  travel.  The  largest 
run  made  was  eighty  miles  in  two  days.  The  camp 
at  night  was  a  primitive  affair,  with  nothing  but  a  fly 


I  1 


i  '1 


«.-•■. 


irp- 


%A-  *'■ 


IM     OFFtCIAXi  aUIt>B  TO  THS  KLONDYICB  COUI^TllY 

tent  to  break  the  wind.  The  days  were  short,  only 
five  or  six  hours  of  light  in  clear  weather.  When  the 
sleighs  were  drawn  up  and  the  dogs  freed  from  the 
harness  each  was  fed  a  half  of  a  king  salmon  which 
weighed  about  seven  pounds.  This  was  the  only  ra- 
tion they  received  all  day,  unless  one  except  the  snow, 
which  they  ate  in  quantities.  The  camp  fire  was  us- 
ually made  on  top  of  fallen  logs  pulled  close  together. 
Water  was  obtairu  ;  by  melting  the  snow,  and  as  soon 
as  supper  was  eateu  the  travelers  turned  in  to  rest. 
Over  a  pile  of  brush  young  Hamilton  would  spread 
his  bearskin.  Then,  wrapping  himself  in  his  rabbit- 
skin  robe  he  slept  soundly  and  securely  until  morning. 
Even  when  the  thermometer  marked  50  degrees  be- 
low zero  he  suffered  no  difficulty  from  the  cold,  which 
failed  to  penetrate  his  warm  furs.  As  soon  as  daylight 
dawned  breakfast  was  eaten,  the  dogs  were  harnessed 
and  the  day's  tramp  began. 

AN  ARCTIC  COSTUME. 
A  description  of  the  young  Chicagoan's  fur  cloth- 
ing may  prove  interesting.  His  costume  was  nearly  all 
of  native  workmanship,  selected  from  beautiful  skins. 
Trousers  from  the  skin  of  a  Siberian  reindeer,  with  the 
hair  side  out,  the  color  a  glossy  brown  and  the  skin 
soft  and  pliable.  Arctic  socks,  lined  with  soft  flannel, 
worn  inside  the  traveling  boots  of  caribou,  the  latter 
made  up  with  the  hair  outside,  and  the  soles  of  seal- 
skin. These  boots  reach  nearly  to  the  knees  and  are 
warm  and  durable.  Other  boots,  both  heavy  and 
light,  made  from  deerskin  and  trimmed  with  wol- 
verine; the  soles  of  sealskin,  strong  and  shapely,  the 
heavier  ones  shaped  by  the  teeth  of  women,  the  lighter 
one  of  split  skins  shaped  by  means  of  a  small  stick. 

A  REMARKABLE  SHIRT 

Hamilton's  shirt  is  a  fawn  skin ;  an  outer  wrap,  or 
"parka,"  is  of  Siberian  reindeer,  trimmed  with  wolver- 
ine; under  the  hood  of  this  he  wore  a  close-fitting  fur 
cap.  When  it  was  very  windy  he  pulled  over  his  head 
a  beautiful  parka  of  snow  white  fawnskin  richly 
trimmed  with  wolverine  and  bear;  the  hood  fitting 


P'l 


[i!^«!^«,',^,^;V■;;^■,■:•^j■ 


■'*-■; 


';;.  ■;-1!f!i', '  rfJ:"' ''*■:£  V*«* ''■Y  '"/f^''. 


A2n>  THS  OOU>  FIBLD8  07  ALASKA. 


Ml 


close  about  the  face  afforded  ample  protection  from 
Alaska  windstorms.  In  addition  to  his  regular  cos- 
tume Mr.  Hamilton  brought  with  him  to  Chir.Ago  a 
handsome  coat  and  vest  of  hair  seal,  trimmed  with  the 
white,  wooly  coat  of  a  seal  pup.  These  are  lined 
throughout  with  squirrelskin  and  have  buttons  of  wal- 
rus teeth.  The  bear  and  rabbit  sleeping  robes  com- 
plete his  outfit. 

CHRISTMAS  ON  THE  TANANAH  RIVER. 

At  Nuklakiet  Hamilton's  party  was  joined  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Prevost,  in  charge  of  the  Episcopal  mission  at 
that  place,  who  was  anxious  to  visit  some  Indians  on 
the  Tananah  river.  He  was  gladly  welcomed  by  the 
young  men  and  together  th  .iy  traveled  up  the  Yukon 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Tananih,  which  latter  river  they 
followed  for  350  miles.  An  early  camp  was  made 
Christmas  day,  when  each  dog  was  given  an  extra 
large  piece  of  salmon  and  a  sort  of  holiday  dinner 
was  prepared  for  all.  The  bill  of  fare  on  that  occasion 
was  vermicelli  soup,  roast  kmg  salmon,  roast  rabbit, 
rabbit  fricasee,  slap-jacks,  plum  duff  a  la  Tananah, 
tea,  cocoa  and  v  ater.  Several  Indian  villages  were 
passed  before  leaving  the  Tananah  and  at  the  last  an 
Indian  was  engaged  to  guide  the  party  np  the  Jesa 
river  and  over  the  divide  to  the  head  waters  of  Forty 
Mile  creek. 

"I  learned,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton,  "that  the  preceding 
summer  had  proved  a  very  fair  mming  season,  and 
though  no  rich  finds  were  made  everyone  did  well. 
Post-trader  McQuestion  told  me  he  had  taken  in  more 
gold  than  in  any  previous  s.ason  since  he  had  been  in 
the  country.  There  have  been  no  new  strikes,  that  of 
Miller  creek,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  Sixty  Mile, 
being  the  \aiest.  But  the  entire  country  is  rich  in 
placer  geld  mines  and  a  good  hustler  can  make  a 
profitable  living.  It  is  no  country  for  a  dude  or  lazy 
man;  wages  are  from  $8  to  $to  a  day  Hnring  the  sea- 
son, which  averages  four  and  a  half  months.  With 
the  assurance  of  plenty  of  previsions  nowthatwe  have 
gone  into  the  country,  the  miner  who  goes  to  Alaska 


^  '^m 


^ 


mm 


".'V.- ;,>:*'!"«•' 


m     OFFICIAL.  GUIDID  TO  THB  KLONDTHJD  COUNTRT 

with  $500  in  his  pocket  as  a  grub  stake  is  reasonably 
assured  of  success.  The  miner  told  me  the  weather 
had  not  been  unusually  severe;  59  degrees  below  zero 
was  the  lowest  record  of  the  mercury." 

At  Forty  Mile  Rev.  Mr.  Provost's  company  was  ex- 
changed for  that  of  John  Reed,  an  old  Yukoner,  who 
has  been  in  the  interior  over  six  years.  Fresh  dogs 
were  bought,  as  the  800  miles  of  travel  had  been  a 
trifle  wearing  on  the  teams.  Among  the  new  pur- 
chases were  some  fine  specimens.  One  of  them 
"J^ck,"  was  brought  by  Mr.  Hamilton  to  Chicago  as 
a  present  for  Mrs.  Weare;  it  is  his  picture  that  ap- 
pears in  the  foreground  in  the  group  accompanying 
this  article.  Jack  can  pull  a  sleigh  loaded  with  300 
pounds  up  and  down  hill  day  after  day.  GcH>d  dogs 
are  getting  scarce  at  Forty  Mile  and  are  worth  $25 
each;  at  Nulato,  Hamilton's  starting  point,  they  sell 
for  less  than  half  that  amount. 

DESERTED  BY  THE  GUIDE. 

It  was  48  degrees  below  zero  and  blowing  a  gale 
when  Hamilton  and  Reed  left  Forty  Mile  Feb.  3. 
The  latter  did  not  have  his  face  well  protected  and 
was  severely  frost  bitten,  but  the  weather  moderated 
after  they  had  been  out  twelve  days  and  no  more 
extremely  cold  weather  was  encountered  until  the 
travelers  reached  the  coast  range.  They  often  went 
with  their  ears  uncovered  and  without  mittens.  Sev- 
enteen dogs  were  left  to  pull  their  three  sleds  when 
they  bade  the  miners  good-bye  at  Forty  Mile.  They 
followed  the  river  as  before,  because  there  was  less 
snow  on  the  ice  than  in  the  woods,  but  in  places  the 
running  ice  of  the  preceding  fall  had  piled  up  twenty 
or  thirty  feet,  so  that  progress  was  slow  and  labored, 
eight  and  ten  miles  often  being  a  good  day's  journey. 

It  required  thirteen  days  to  reach  Harper's  trading 
post  on  the  Pelly  river.  Here  Hamilton  understood 
he  could  replenish  his  stock  of  dried  fish,  but  in  this 
he  was  disappointed,  and  the  dogs  had  to  suffer.  A 
sprt  of  porridge  made  of  oat  meal  and  flour,  with  a 
little  fish  thrown  in,  was  their  daily  diet  henceforth. 


1 


■  '<,'^'ri^i  •• 


AND  THB  OOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA 


Only  two  Indians  remained  with  him,  a  Nulato, 
named  Gal-e-cheetz,  who  had  come  all  the  way,  and  a 
guide  called  Jim,  engaged  at  Harper's  to  show  a  short 
cut  around  the  Rink  rapids,  and  Five  Fingers,  of 
Lewis  river.  Jim  did  not  prove  a  faithful  guide; 
about  forty  miles  out  he  deserted  the  party  and  put 
back  for  home,  leaving  the  travelers  to  shift  for  them- 
selves. Luckily  he  had  given  them  a  good  descrip- 
tion of  the  trail,  and  after  a  close  search  they  struck 
the  right  lead  and  followed  it  for  five  days  and  finally 
came  out  upon  the  Yukon.  The  cut  saved  them  a 
week's  travel. 

PROVISIONS  EXHAUSTED. 

The  course  was  now  up  the  Lewis  and  over  the 
chain  of  lakes  until  the  head  of  Lake  Linderman  was 
reached,  the  route  over  which  nearly  every  miner  in 
the  interior  has  passed.  The  scenery  was  a  never 
ending  and  scarcely  varying  succession  of  snow-cov- 
ered lakes,  rivers  and  hills.  No  smooth  ice  was  en- 
countered until  the  lakes  were  reached.  White  Horse 
rapids  and  the  canon  were  passed  without  accident. 
Near  the  latter  the  river  was  open  in  the  center  and 
fairly  boiled,  but  safe  sledding  was  found  at  the  side. 
Mud  Lake,  Taku,  Bennett  and  Linderman  were 
closed,  but  the  connecting  streams  were  open  in  the 
center.  The  snow  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Linderman 
w^s  soft  and  fully  four  feet  deep.  Since  leaving  Pelly 
river  there  had  been  a  high  wind,  which,  however,  had 
helped  rather  than  retarded  progress,  as  it  lay  at  their 
backs. 

On  the  night  of  March  15,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Lind- 
erman, the  last  bit  of  fish  and  the  last  pound  of  flour 
were  fed  to  the  dogs,  and  those  that  were  too  weak 
to  finish  the  journey  Hamilton  ordered  killed.  They 
were  then  nearing  the  coast  momitains,  the  summit 
of  which  was  only  twenty  miles  distant.  Would  they 
be  able  to  find  the  pass?  was  their  constant  anxious 
thought. 

Next  day  they  moved  on  up  Lake  I  inderman,  then 
three  miles  to  the  timber  line,  until  half  the  journey  to 


■'^.^#0?" 


m      OFFICIAL  'JUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKB  COUNTRY 

the  summit  had  been  covered.  Once  over  that  and 
they  were  safe.  Encounter  a  snowstorm  in  their  pres- 
ent condition,  with  worn-out  dogs  and  lack  of  supplies, 
meant  prolonged  suffering  and  perhaps  death. 

PAST  THE  RUBICON. 

With  seven  dogs  left  they  began  the  asc  :nt  and 
nobly  the  teams  buckled  to  their  work.  Up,  up,  up 
they  strain  until  at  length  the  summit  is  reached,  the 
pass  is  safely  struck  and  there  three  miles  below  lies 
Sheep  camp.  A  little  daylight  is  still  left  and  they 
determined  to  make  the  descent.  The  dogs  are  turned 
loose,  the  sleighs  rough  shod  and  started  down.  Over 
and  over  they  go,  but  suffer  no  damage  save  a  broken 
handle.  Then  the  travelers  essay  the  declivity.  But 
their  progress  is  neither  slow  nor  dignified.  The  snow 
is  so  hard  that  the  feet  make  no  impression,  so  there 
is  no  alternative  but  to  slide,  and  they  do  slide,  part  of 
the  time  feet  foremost,  again  with  their  heads  in  the 
lead,  both  extremes  changing  places  with  startling 
rapidity. 

Sheep  camp  is  reached  without  any  broken  bones 
to  be  recorded,  and  here  they  pitch  tent  for  the  last 
time.  At  daybreak  they  niove  forward  and  a  ten- 
mile  spin  brings  them  to  Wilson's,  on  the  Dyea,  where 
Hamilton's  long  and  plucky  journey  of  i,6oo  miles 
ends.  Monday  morning,  March  20,  the  little  steamer 
Yukon  was  boarded,  which  carried  the  young  traveler 
to  Juneau,  whence  he  sailed  without  loss  of  time  for 
Seattle.  Monday,  April  11,  Mr.  Hamilton  reported  to 
Messrs.  Weare  and  Cudahy  at  the  office  of  the  North 
American  Transportation  and  Trading  Company  in 
the  Insurance  Exchange  building,  where  he  received 
the  hearty  congratulations  of  his  employers,  who  had 
been  apprised  of  his  coming  by  wire. 

Mr.  Hamilton  has  since  made  two  more  trips  to 
Alaska,  each  time  under  more  favorable  conditions; 
and  he  is  now  the  secretary  of  The  North  American 
Transportation  and  Trading  Co. 


I 


AND  THB  OOL.D  FIBLDS  OF  ALASKA. 


Ml 


THE  RUSH  OF  THE  PRESENT. 

"It  is  the  old  California  days  over  again,"  said  P.  B. 
Weare,  of  the  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Co. 

"If  two-thirds  of  the  news  from  these  Klondyke 
fields  is  true  no  human  power  will  keep  men  from 
pouring  into  the  Yukon  country  by  the  thousand. 
Here  is  a  pile  of  over  loo  letters,  received  this  morning, 
and  all  asking  about  transportation  to  Klondyke. 
Funny?  Well,  I  should  say  so.  The  number  of  men 
who  want  to  get  out  there  and  haven't  the  price  is 
really  alarming.  And  the  propositions  they  make  are 
thoroughly  amusing. 

"Here  is  a  letter  from  an  old  gentleman  who  says 
he  dug  gold  in  California  in  '49.  Now,  in  his  old  age, 
the  fever  returns  on  reading  of  the  Klondyke  fields. 
He  hasn't  the  money  to  go,  but  he  feels  sure  that,  once 
there,  his  experience  will  make  him  a  sure  winner,  and 
he  will  divide  his  fortune  with  us  if  we  will  get  him 
there.  Here's  another  from  a  man  who  has  a  new 
scheme.  He  says  it  beats  hydraulic  mining  all  hollow. 
If  we  will  transport  him  he  will  fix  up  his  system  and 
give  us  half  of  the  first  $50,000  that  comes  in  and 
10  per  cent,  of  the  remainder.  Any  number  of  men 
want  to  go  on  percentage  arrangements  and  all  say 
that  if  the  fields  are  as  rich  as  is  reported  we  ought  not 
to  be  afraid  to  stake  them.  I  fear  we  cannot  oblige 
very  many  of  them. 

GOOD  ADVICE. 
"The  letters  pouring  in  from  people  who  know  noth- 
ing of  Alaska  deserve  mention  and  a  few  words  of 
information  and  advice  will  be  of  value  to  the  Writers. 
In  the  first  place,  the  boats  which  sail  from  Seattle 
this  month  are  full — every  passage  taken.  That  means 
that  any  one  who  wants  to  go  to  Klondyke  at  this 
hour  must  wait  for  the  August  boats.  Anu  the  jour- 
ney is  7,000  miles.  People  talk  about  it  as  if  it  was 
walking  across  the  street — goii^g  on  a  trip  to  Indiana. 
They  don't  realize  what  Alaska  is — what  the  Yukon 
is.    They  will  prick  up  their  ears  <ind  need  a  map 


if'-w' 


m 


i 


^^ 


^:jfi^mt«:-' 


»^^*/-.lw.. .  3?pt^*ii^jpji:r^..^ 


'*V. 


), 


fl- 


aw    OFFICIAL  OUIDB  TO  THB  KtONDTKB  COUNTRY 

to  convince  them  of  the  truth  that  tlie  country  of  the 
Yukon  and  its  tributaries  in  Alaska  and  British  Amer- 
ica is  as  large  as  the  whole  United  States  east  of  the 
Mississippi — that  it  is  longer  than  a  trip  to  Europe 
before  they  reach  the  Bering  sea  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon;  that  by  the  time  they  strike  the  Yukon  the 
Alaskan  arctic  winter  will  be  upon  them. 

WHEN  WINTER  SETS  IN. 

"By  September  25  the  winter  settles  down  and  the 
Yukon  country  is  frozen  solid  till  next  May.  That's 
a  loveiv  prospect  for  the  bold  adventurers,  isn't  it? 
The  men  of  real  experience — men  who  know  what 
Alaska  li!  o.nd  what  an  arctic  winter  means — will  post- 
pone their  irip  till  the  spring.  What  then?  Why, 
such  a  rush  as  the  world  hasn't  seen  since  '49.  The 
boats  from  Seattle  to  the  Yukon's  mouth  will  be 
crowded;  thousands  of  men  will  force  their  way 
through  the  wild  passes  of  the  Chilkat  and  the  Chil- 
koot  and,  reaching  the  headwaters  of  the  Yukon,  will 
build  rafts  and  float  down  the  river  until  they  reach 
the  town  of  Dawson — the  center  of  the  Klondyke  coun- 
try. They  will  come  by  myriads,  and  the  only  rule  will 
be  'First  come,  first  served.' 

FORTUNE  HUNTERS. 

"All  kinds  of  fortune-hunters  come  in  here,"  said 
an  official  of  the  Union  Pacific.  Men  dash  in 
with  gripsacks  ready  packed  and  warm  schemes  to 
get  their  transportation.  There  was  one  fellow  in  this 
morning  who  was  a  bird.  He  guaranteed,  if  we  would 
pass  him  to  the  coast  and  fix  him  up  with  the  steamer 
companies,  to  look  the  country  over  thoroughly  and 
get  a  big  excursion  up  when  he  returned,  all  the  peo- 
ple, of  course,  to  go  by  our  road.  I  told  him  he  had 
better  wait  till  spring,  because  it  would  grow  very 
cold  up  there  and  he  might  get  his  feet  frozen  and  be 
unable  to  come  back  in  time." 

And  so  the  whirl  goes  on  and  the  railroads  and  the 
steamship  lines  look  to  see  tens  of  thousands  rush  to 
the  new  El  Dorado  in  the  spring. 


*'V* 


AND  THE  aOLD  riBLDS  OF  ALASKA. 


SI 


SAILINGS  FROM  SEATTLE. 

Mr.  Weare  says:  "Our  steamer  Cleveland,  a  spe- 
cial boat,  leaves  Seattle  on  or  about  August  5th,  con- 
necting vith  our  river  steamers.  The  steamer  Port- 
land leaves  Seattle  about  August  -'oth.  We  are  un- 
able to  carry  any  freight  this  year,  as  our  freight 
room  has  all  been  taken,  and  on  account  of  the  neces- 
sity of  carrying  food  and  supplies  lo  the  interior wc arc 
obliged  to  limit  our  passengers  in  bago^age  allowance 
as  above  stated,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  trip  of 
the  Portland,  when  passengers  will  be  allowed  200 
pounds  of  food  supplies  each  in  addition  to  the  above 
baggage  allowance.  Our  reason  for  this  is  that,  ow- 
ing to  the  late  date  of  sailing,  we  may  not  be  able  to 
land  passengers  at  Dawson  or  the  upper  river  mining 
camps.  If  we  are  unable  to  complete  the  trip  this 
fall,  board  will  be  furnished  at  about  $2  per  day  until 
spring,  when  we  will  complete  the  trip  on  the  river 
without  extra  charge  to  those  holding  through  tickets. 
On  the  Portland's  last  trip  we  will  carry  notie  but 
strong,  able-bodied  men.  It  usually  takes  from  30 
to  35  days  to  make  the  trip  from  Seattle  to  the  gold 
fields.  It  is  our  endeavor  to  run  boats  on  the  river 
through  to  the  Klondyke  region,  but  owing  to  the 
difficulty  of  navigation  and  the  many  possible  ob- 
stacles, including  the  shortness  of  the  season,  we  may 
be  obliged  to  tie  up  for  the  winter  at  Circle  City  or 
some  point  below  Dawson.  In  this  event  men  will  be 
able  to  leave  the  boat  and  make  the  trip  on  foot.  In 
selling  you  a  ticket  we  agree  to  take  you  as  far  on  the 
river  as  possible,  but  of  course  cannot  agree  to  go  to 
Dawson.  The  first  boat  in  the  spring  leaves  Seattle 
on  or  about  June  12th." 

FUTURE  DEVELOPMENTS. 

At  a  recent  cabinet  meeting  in  Ottawa,  Out.,  Min- 
ister Paterson  was  authorized  to  send  two  more  cus- 
toms officers  to  the  Alaskan  boundary  by  the  Islander. 
The  men  will  be  taken  from  the  Victoria  custom 
house.  They  will  open  stations,  as  outposts  of  Vic- 
toria, beyond  the  head  of  I-ynn  Canrii,  which  is  in 


IS3     OFFICIAI*  GUIDE  TO  THE  KLONDYKK  COUNTRY 

disputed  territory  and  at  present  in  the  United  States 
possessions,  and  at  Lake  Tagish.  There  is  a  col- 
lector at  Fort  Cudahy,  only  tifty  miles  from  Dawson 
City,  and  these  arrangements,  backed  up  by  a  strong 
force  of  'jolice,  are  considered  ample  for  the  protec- 
tion oi  n  venue  just  now. 

THE  GREATEST  OF  ALL  QUESTIONS. 

The  greatest  question  of  all  is  one  of  communica- 
tion. It  is  reported  that  a  [)ack  trail  exists  for  twenty 
of  the  eighty  miles,  which  will  separate  the  coast  from 
the  first  post  to  be  established  at  60  Jegreea  of  latitude 
in  undisputed  British  territory.  If  so,  a  narrow 
gauge  railway  can  be  built  where  there  is  a  pack  trail. 
The  cost  would  be  great,  md  if  cars  could  be  hauled 
twice  a  day  over  the  noouuiains  hcing  the  coast  a 
tremendous  obstacle  would  be  overcome,  because  in 
winter  it  is  impossible  to  cross  the  mountains  except 
at  the  risk  of  life. 

CUSTOMS  AND  POLICE  POST. 
A  strong  customs  and  police  post  will  be  established 
just  north  of  the  British  Columl)ia  boundary,  beyond 
the  head  of  the  Lynn  Canal,  at  60  degrees  of  latitude. 
Estimateis  will  also  he  olMained  of  the  cost  of  building 
a  wagon  road  and  of  a  narrow  gauge  railway  to  this 
post  in  the  mountains,  a  distance  of  from  seventy  to 
eighty  miles,  about  hah"  of  which  is  over  mountains. 
This  post,  which  wili  be  \\}.iero.  Chilkoot  and  White 
Passes  converge,  will  command  tlie  southern  en- 
trances to  the  whole  territory.  Mounted  police  posts 
will  be  established  at  distances  of  fifty  miles  apart  up 
to  Fort  Selkirk,  These  will  be  used  to  open  up  a 
winter  road  over  which  monthlv  mails  will  be  sent 
by  dog  trains.  If  possible  a  telegraph  line  will  be 
constructed  over  the  mountains  from  the  head  of  the 
Lynn  Canal  to  the  first  post, 

SURVEYS  FOR  RAILROADS. 
Engireers  have  been  employed  in  surveying  :i  route 
for  a  rawhoad  into  t!u»  Yukon  from  Dyea,    Yhe  road 
h  to  !><•  built  by  a  Canadian-Er  ,iish  syndicate.    Th« 


I 


AKt>  TKB  aOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


m 


work  ot  fcurvey  was  sinrted  as  soon  as  the  ice  broke 
in  the  rivri.  It  has  been  compicted  the  entire  length 
of  the  line  of  rail,  sixry  two  miles,  and  forms  an  en- 
tirely nevv  overland  rofte  to  the  placer  fields  on  the 
north.  Work  will  be  begun  early  next  year.  When 
the  new  road  is  built  it  will  rtvolutionize  trivei  from 
Dyca  into  the  Yukon. 

The  route  surveyed  leaves  tide  water  at  .Skagawa 
Bay,  close  to  Dyea,  and  runs  in  a  northerly  direction 
over  the  summit  by  Wb'te's  Pass,  through  which  a 
trail  h.^s  ju.st  been  completed.  The  new  trail  is  i,ooo 
feet  lower  than  Chilkat  Pass,  at  which  so  much  liard- 
ship  is  encountered  by  prospectors.  The  route  will 
eliminnte  all  the  danger  of  the  White  Horse  rapids 
a'ld  Miles  Canyon,  where  now  jiortages  from  one  to 
three  miles  are  made,  and  where  so  many  gold  hunt- 
ers have  lost  their  all.  in  having  their  supplies  turned 
out  of  the  boat  into  the  water  by  the  bowlders  thickly 
studding  '''^  river. 

^      CASSIAR  CENTRAL  RAILWAY. 

It  is  stated  in  London  that  capital  of  $400,000  ha? 
been  subscribed  for  the  construction  of  the  Cassiar 
Central  Railway  in  the  Cassiar  district,  nortliern  part 
of  British  Columbia.  The  charter  was  granted  the 
company  at  the  last  session  of  the  Provincial  Legisla- 
ture, which  also  irave  aid  by  the  concession  of  a  lease 
of  7,000  acres  ot  land  and  the  right  to  all  minerals, 
including  gold  and  silver  found  therein.  Parties  con- 
nected with  Transvaal  mining  enterprises  are  be- 
hind the  company. 

RAILROAD  TO  THE  KLONDYKE. 

Fred  Hitchings,  v/ho  went  to  Alaska  from  Madison, 
this  state,  has  written  to  friends  that  a  valuable  con- 
cession has  bt'cn  granted  to  him  by  the  government 
of  British  Columbia, 

It  is  a  railroad  route  to  the  Klondyke  mining  di.s- 
trict,  and  covers  the  shortest  available  route,  star* 
ing  from  Juneau  by  way  of  the  Taku  river  and  Taslin 
lake. 


lot     OFFICIAL  OUIDB  TO  TH®  KLONDTKIS  COUNTRY 


%;"'' 


■v. 


The  road  will  be  i6o  miles  long,  thence  by  lake  and 
Lewis  river  to  Selkirk. 

Privileges  of  trading  ports,  a  grant  of  5,000  acres  a 
mile,  and  a  subsidy  of  $5,000  a  mile  go  with  it. 

BRITISH  C(3MPAN1ES  TO  COMPETE. 

Unofficial  information  has  been  received  at  the 
treamry!  department  to  the  effect  that  the  British  com- 
pan  es  controlling  steamer  lines  between  ports  in  Brit- 
ish Columbia  and  Alaska  intended  applying  to  the 
Un.ted  State.s  for  permission  to  land  at  small  places 
in  Alaska  not  ports  of  entry. 

The  intention  of  tlie  company  is  to  secure  advantage 
of  the  passenger  and  freight  traffic  which  has  become 
so  valuable  on  account  of  the  mad  rush  to  the  Klon- 
dyke  gold  fields.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  laws  of 
this  country  foreign  vessels  are  permitted  to  land  only 
at  ports  of  entry  in  the  United  States. 

In  Alaska  Sitka  is  tlie  only  port  of  entry  where  a 
collector  of  customs  is  stationed. 

There  arc  several  ports  of  delivery  at  which  Amer- 
ican vessels  can  discharge  passengers  and  cargoes. 
These  are  Wrangell,  iMar\  Island,  Juneau,  Sand  Point, 
Kodiac  and  L'nalaska.  ^ 

NEW  ROUTES. 

Some  prospectors  intend  to  go  by  the  route  followed 
by  Lieutenant  Sehvvatka,  who  conducted  an  exploring 
party  into  the  Yukon  valley  in  1H89.  This  route  starts 
from  Takou  iidct,  thirty  miles  south  of  Juneau.  From 
Takou  to  Lake  Testin  it  is  130  miles  over  level  prai- 
ries, and  the  ccnmtry  from  Lake  Testin  is  an  open 
valley  through  to  the  Yukon  river  by  the  way  of  the 
Hooting  Hua  river.  With  the  aid  of  pack  horses  the 
Takou  route  is  l)y  f;»r  the  more  preferable.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  a  stage  line  will  be  ojierated  over  this  route. 

For  the  last  three  years  several  local  and  English 
comi>anies  have  been  studying  the  lay  of  the  land  be- 
tween Chilkat  and  Circle  City,  with  a  view  to  estab- 
lishing a  quicker  and  more  practicable  way  of  trans 
portation  to  the  rich  gold  fields  along  the  Yukon. 


ama^easimi 


AND  THlg:  aOU>  7IB3LDS  OF  ALASKA 


Gooclall,  Perkins  &  Co.  have  made  a  thorough  investi- 
gation of  the  matter.  Capt.  Charles  Goodall  said: 
"The  rich  find  in  the  Klondyke  district  will  probably 
result  in  some  iKJttcr  means  of  transportation,  though 
the  roughness  of  the  country  and  the  limited  open 
season  will  not  justify  anybody  in  building  a  railroad 
for  any  distance.  Recently  we  sent  several  hundred 
sheep  and  cattle  to  Juneau,  and  from  there  to  the  head 
of  navigation  l>y  the  steamer  Alki.  Dalton,  the  man 
who  discovered  a  trail  across  the  country  from  Chil- 
kat  river  to  Fort  Selkirk,  is  taking  the  live  stock  to 
the  mines.  His  route  lies  from  the  head  of  navigation 
through  Chilkat  pass  and  across  a  route  whicn  is  over 
a  prairie  several  miles  to  the  Yukon  river,  near  Fort 
Selkirk.  At  this  time  of  year  the  prairie  is  clear,  and 
bunch  grass  grows  on  it  in  abundance." 

TO  FACILITATE  TRAVEL. 

Among  other  schemes  a  New  Yorker  has  one  which 
he  thinks  wil'  greatly  facilitate  the  journey  inland 
from  Juneau.  It  is  his  idea  that  the  naphtha  launches 
so  popular  here  will  prove  of  great  service  in  Alaska. 
He  hopes  to  take  some  to  Juneau  when  he  sails  and 
says  that  if  the  weather  is  at  all  fair  in  Alaska  they 
wili  be  the  means  of  saving  a  great  deal  of  time.  The 
only  drawback  to  then)  is  the  danger  of  their  being 
crushed  in  the  ice. 

TO  CONSTRUCT  TELEGRAPH  LINES. 

The  Klondyke  is  promised  close  communication 
with  the  rest  of  the  world  in  a  short  time.  A  telegraph 
company  has  been  incorporated  which  will  get  to 
work  inmiediately,  its  promoter  says,  stringing  the 
wires. 

Articles  of  incorporation  of  the  Alaska  Telegraph 
and  Teleplione  company  have  been  filed  with  the  coun- 
ty clerk  of  San  hrancisco.  The  directors  of  the  new 
company  are  C.  W.  Wright,  Theodore  Richart,  D.  E. 
Rohanon,  J.  VV.  Wright  and  J.  I*".  Fassett.  The  cap- 
ital stock  of  the  organization  is  $250,000,  of  which 
$100,000  has  been  subscribed  by  the  directors. 


*>, 


I 


:m 


tSt     OFFICtAt,  OUIDB  TO  THB  KLONOYKB  CpUNTIlT 

The  proposition  is  to  construct  telegraph  lines  which 
will  connect  Dyea  with  the  town  of  Dawson  and 
branch  lines  connecting  Dyea  with  Juneau  and  Daw- 
son with  Circle  City.  The  estimated  length  of  the 
proposed  line  is  10,000  miles. 

The  plan  of  construction  will  be  after  the  style  of 
military  systems  used  in  war  times.  A  wire  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  thick,  covered  with  kerite  insulation,  will 
be  used.  The  wire  will  be  laid  along  the  ground  in- 
stea<l  of  being  stretched  on  poles. 

The  company  does  not  intend  to  have  any  telegraph 
communication  south  from  Juneau  unless  some  of 
the  largtr  companies  construct  a  Vme  north  from  Puget 
soiuid. 

EXPLAINS  THE  METHOD. 

Mr.  Bohannon,  in  explanation,  said:  "Our  method 
i\  very  simple.  The  line  is  to  be  constructed  on  the 
sume  plans  as  the  ordinary  military  line  used  by 
armies  for  war  purposes.  VVe  have  a  wire  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  thick  and  covered  with  kerite  insulation, 
which  has  proved  able  to  stand  the  rigorous  climatic 
conditions  prevailing  in  Alaska. 

"The  wire  is  wound  upon  large  reels,  the  same  as 
an  ordinary  telegraph  wire,  and  these  coils  are  to  be 
placed  on  dog  sleds  and  dragged  over  the  ice  and 
snow.  As  we  go  along  the  reels  will  simply  pay  out 
the  loose  wire  and  run  it  along  the  ground,  and  thus 
our  line  will  be  through  in  something  like  six  weeks, 
the  time  consumed  in  the  ordinary  tramp  over  the 
country." 

Mr.  Bohannon  expects  to  leave  for  Juneau  in  the 
very  near  future,  and  will  commence  operations  im- 
mediately upon  his  arrival  there. 

HORSES  AND  DOGS  IN  DEMAND. 

A  feature  of  the  great  exodus  to  the  gold  fields  is 
the  number  of  horses  and  dogs  that  are  being  taken 
north  for  packing  purposes;  400  have  already  been 
shipped  and  the  number  will  reach  1,000  by  Septem- 
ber I. 

Washington  state  is  being  scoured  by  buyers  to 


nWtim 


AMD  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


m 


secure  good  cayuses  of  about  i,ooo  pounds  weight 
and  dogs  weighing  at  least  90  pounds.  Cayuses, 
which  were  worth  $3  to  $5  a  month  ago,  are  now 
worth  $20  to  $30. 

The  horses  will  be  used  in  packing  outfits  over  the 
Chilkoot  and  White  passes  from  Dyea  bay  to  Lake 
Linderman. 

Packers  are  getting  15  to  20  cents  a  pound  for  car- 
rying outfits  from  Dyea  to  Linderman,  a  distance  of 
31  miles.  When  cold  weather  comes  many  horses  will 
be  killed,  frozen,  and  sold  for  dog  meat. 

Dogs  are  being  taken  clear  to  the  Yukon  for  hauling 
sleds  during  the  winter. 

FOR  TRANSPORTATION  OF  GOLD. 

There  is  every  probability  that  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co. 
will  establish  an  office  in  Dawson  City  during  the 
coming  spring.  L.  F.  Rowcll,  assistant  manager  of 
the  company,  said  that  nothing  would  be  gaiiicd  by 
establishing  an  office  earlier  than  that. 

The  present  rate  of  transp(jrtatif)n  for  gold  from 
Seattle  to  San  Francisco  is  $3  a  thousand  and  $5  from 
Seattle  to  I'liiladclphia.  If  an  office  is  established  in 
the  Klondyke  district  the  rate  per  thousand,  including 
insurance,  will  be  $8.40. 


t 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  TWO  GOVERNMENTS. 

Yankees  at  tlic  Front — Secretary  Sherman's  Opinion 
— Canada's  Greed — Canadian  Regulations — Killing  • 
the  Goose — Legal  Difficulties  Discussed  by  the 
Cabinet — Fort  Alger — Fort  Gi'  There — An  Ex- 
pert Detailed — Canada's  Action — Police  for  the 
Klondyke — British  Columbia  Sulky — Canadian 
Mining  Laws — Dyea  Sub-port — One  Man  Su- 
preme— 'Canada  Claims  It  All — "Throu-Diuck" — 
After  Revenue —  More  Military  Matters — Land  Of- 
hoe  Need? — Secretary  Ryan  Talks — Government 
Will  Aid — Hermann's  Recommendations — Con- 
gressional Action. 

A  statement  is  rife  that  political  trouble  on  the  Klon- 
dyke  is  pretty  sure  to  be  bred  next  winter  by  the  Can- 
adian government,  which  is  smarting  under  the  rates 
proposed  in  the  Dingley  bill,  and  is  bound  in  some 
way  to  check  the  flow  of  gold  from  the  placers  there 
to  this  country. 

A  scheme  which  is  sure  to  provoke  violent  resent- 
ment was  detailed  by  Captain  Strickland,  late  com- 
mandant of  the  mounted  poHce  on  the  Klondyke,  on 
the  passage  down  from  St.  Michael's  to  William  Stan- 
ley, an  American  miner.  Stanley  was  in  partnership 
with  three  other  men,  and  he  took  out  $112,000  from 
a  claim  on  El  Dorado  creek  in  ninety  days. 

Captain  Strickland  said  the  plan  which  he  has  al- 
ready suggested  and  which  the  Dominion  government 
was  inclined  to  favor,  provided  they  had  a  large  enough 
police  to  be  assured  of  carrying  it  out,  was  to  pass  a 
law  prohibiting  the  export  of  gold  *^xcept  by  Dominion 
officials.  The  gold  dust  brought  in  by  the  miners  of 
all  nationalities  would  be  carefully  weighed  by 
officials  of  the  Canadian  government.  A  fixed  value 
would  be  placed  on  the  metal,  according  to  assayers' 


flt^^'^.(mj^':^fii}%p.rr} ;  yjivy^  ■  -  o-  -'■  j 


'  '"■!:■! f.fi-ri'KMf:'^'^^'''--^3y-<i:'-  * ■■  '*  ;»:*.■.«- ./•:»! i'^,r-.:R.> 


'.timistji 


3^ 


AND  TBB  GOLD  FIBLDB  OF  AXJkBKJL 


m 


estimates,  and  thds  value  would  be  paid  in  money  of 
only  local  value. 

SECRETARY  OF  STATE'S  OPINION. 

Secretary  of  State  John  Sherman,  having  been  inter- 
viewed as  to  what  he  thought  of  the  reports  that  the 
Canadian  government  proposes  to  enforce  the  alien 
act  agfainst  American  miners  on  the  Klondyke,  said: 
•'We  have  an  alien  law  of  our  own.  We  have  never 
enforced  it  against  gold  miners.  Canadian  citizens 
have  been  free  to  come  into  the  United  States  and 
mine  for  gold  under  the  same  terms  that  our  own  citi- 
zens did.  There  has  never  been  any  friction  over  the 
matter. 

"Where  a  man  has  taken  up  a  land  claim  for  the 
purpose  of  residence  and  cultivation  we  have  always 
insisted  that  he  be  a  citizen.  The  same  has  been  done 
under  the  Canadian  governnnent. 

"Where  a  man  has  simply  prospected  for  gold  with 
the  intention  of  digging  into  the  ground  a  little  ways 
and  taking  what  he  could  find  from  land  against  which 
there  was  already  no  claim,  he  has  never  been  inter- 
fered with  on  our  side  of  the  boundary.  I  do  not 
think  that  the  Canadian  government  will  change  that 
course  of  procedure.  If  they  do,  it  may  lead  to  fully 
as  much  embarrassment  to  them  as  to  our  miners. 

"From  tlie  meager  reports  already  received  it  looks 
as  if  there  might  be  as  much  gold  on  our  side  of  the 
Alaska  line  as  on  theirs.  I  do  not  anticipate  any  seri- 
ous trouble  with  our  Canadian  neighbors  on  that 


score. 


CANADA'S  GREED. 


The  action  of  the  Canadian  governmci*::  in  placing 
a  heavy  export  duty  on  Klondyke  gold  and  adopting 
radical  methods  to  increase  the  revenue  of  the  domin- 
ion was  lately  discussed  by  Chicago  authorities  on 
mining  law. 

John  N.  Jewett  said  that  Canada  has  the  right  to 
govern  its  own  lands  whether  the  assessment  is  rea- 
sonable or  unreasonable.  He  never  heard  of  such  a 
procedure  before  in  mining  countries,  not  even  South 


4 
i 


:;•     OFFICIAL  OUIX>B  TO  THB  KLONDTXS  OODMTBr 


!ir» 


Africa  or  Australia.  The  United  States  never  does  it 
Edwin  Walker  said  this  tax  for  miners  imposed  by 
the  Canadian  cabinet  is  unreasonable,  but  there  is  no 
relief,  because  it  is  a  decision  from  which  there  is  no 
appeal.  In  America  people  who  stake  their  claims 
on  mineral  lands  are  not  subjected  to  such  a  tax,  but 
it  is  only  evident  that  Canada  knows  a  good  thing 
when  she  has  it,  and  intends  to  make  the  most  of  it. 
Charles  M.  Walker  thought  that  Canada's  right  to 
govern  the  occupancy  of  her  lands  cannot  be  success- 
fully challenged.  The  United  States  does  not  impose 
such  a  tax  on  miners,  but  it  compels  every  man  who 
stakes  out  a  claim  to  be  an  American  citizen,  and  the 
price  of  citizenship  is  perhaps  treasured  as  very  dear 
to  many  foreigners  who  come  to  this  country  to  take 
up  mineral  claims.  Canada  will  have  a  right  to  com- 
pel American  miners  to  renounce  their  allegiance  to 
the  stars  and  stripes,  as  well  as  pay  a  tax  to  Canada, 
if  they  want  to  do  business  in  the  gold  fields  under  the 
polar  star. 

C.  A.  Weare  said  that  the  tax  will  have  the  effect  of 
driving  prospectors  over  into  the  American  territory. 
"I  do  not  think,"  said  Mr.  Weare,  "that  this  tax  would 
necessitate  the  abandonment  of  any  claims  in  the 
Klondyke  district,  for  they  are  all  so  rich  that  the 
owner  can  feel  sufficiently  well  off  A^ith  his  share.  In 
these  cases  the  law  would  simply  mean  that  the  Can- 
adian got  good  pickings  without  much  trouble.  It  is 
easy  to  see,  however,  that  prospectors  wou'  \  be  led  to 
seek  claims  in  American  territory,  for  th  le  are  just 
as  many  rich  streams  there  as  on  the  other  side, 

CANADIAN  REGULATIONS. 

Some  of  the  Canadian  newspapers  are  already  urging 
the  exclusion  altogether  of  Americans  from  the  mines 
at  Klondyke,  but  in  all  likelihood  no  such  policy  will 
be  adopted  by  the  government.  Nevertheless,  it  is 
not  intended  that  finders  shall  be  keepers,  or  that  gold 
mining  shall  be  free.  The  Canadian  government  pro- 
poses to  participate  in  the  newly  discovered  wealth  and 
receive  an  income  from  it.    Every  miner  must  pay  a 


#  I 


I 


i 


. 


AND  THB  GOLD  FIBUM  OF  ALASKA. 


Mt 


registration  fee  of  $15  and  an  annual  assessment  of 
$100.  This  must  be  paid  as  a  preliminary  and  before 
prospecting  begins.  Next,  the  gold  finder  must  pay 
a  royalty  of  10  per  cent,  on  an  output  of  $500  or  less 
monthly,  and  20  per  cent,  on  all  over  that  amount. 
This  is  tolerably  heavy  taxation,  but  this  is  not  all. 
When  gold  claims  are  staked  out  in  the  future  every 
alternate  one  shall  be  the  property  of  the  government, 
to  be  worked  by  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  revenue. 

Meantime  our  own  government  is  acting  with  great 
promptness  to  aflford  every  facility  for  those  who  in- 
tend to  prospect  in  Alaska.  Secretary  Bliss  "has  or- 
dered a  land  office  to  be  opened  and  a  survey  of  the 
territory  is  to  be  made.  Secretary  Gage  will  establish 
an  assaying  oflfic^e,  while  Secretary  Alger  has  already 
ordered  a  company  of  soldiers  to  Circle  City  to  pro- 
vide all  necessary  protection  for  our  citizens  in  the 
event  of  lawlessness  or  riot  in  a  place  where  there  is 
no  law  in  force  but  miners'  law. 

Doubtless  before  another  season  passes  there  will 
be  gold  found  on  the  Alaska  side  of  the  line,  enough 
and  to  spare  for  all  American  prospectors,  but  up  to 
this  time  the  rich  mines  are  on  the  Canadian  side. 

Gold  hunters  must  take  notice  of  this  and  be  gov- 
erned accordingly. 

KILLING  THE  GOOSE. 

The  *  anadian  government  may  be  about  to  ki'l  the 
goose  that  lays  golden  eg.-^^s.  The  demands  made 
upon  every  miner,  without  respect  of  age,  sex,  place 
of  birth,  or  present  nationality,  are,  firstly,  a  registra- 
tion fee  of  $15;  secondly,  a  yearly  assessment,  cijuiva- 
lent  to  a  license,  of  .$100;  thirdly,  a  tax  or  royalty  of 
10  per  cent  upon  the  gross  output  of  each  mine  or 
niininj;  claim  that  yields  at  the  rate  of  $500  or  less  })er 
month;  fourthly,  a  tax  or  royalty  of  20  per  cent  upon 
the  gross  output  of  all  mines  of  the  value  of  more 
than  $500  per  month. 

The  wisdom  of  such  policy  is  very  doubtful.  The 
cost  of  living  and  of  operating  mines  in  Alaska  is  very 
great;  if  10  per  cent  be  taken  from  the  gross  output 


OFFICIAL  OUIDIB  TO  VHB  KLONDTKK  COimTRT 


of  a  mine  that  yields,  'say,  $200  per  month  it  is  ques* 
tionable  if  anybody  will  think  it  worth  while  to  work 
it.  And  to  tax  any  industry  to  tbe  amount  of  one- 
fifth  of  its  gross  product,  in  addition  to  a  registration 
fee  of  $15  and  a  yearly  assessment  of  $100  upon  each 
person  employed,  is  all  but  proliibitive.  A  more  lib- 
eral policy  might  be  more  profitable  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Dominion.  Furthermore,  the  Dominion 
administration  proceeds  to  enact  that  every  alternate 
claim  shall  be  staked  out  as  property  of  the  govern- 
ment, to  be  worked  for  its  benefit.  This  will  act  a3 
a  prohibition  on  the  employment  of  large  capital  in 
deep  mining  operations.  F"or  who  will  care  to  vest 
from  $100,000  to  $500,000  in  a  plant  that  can  operate 
only  a  few  feet  of  ground? 

THE  LEGAL  DIFFICULTIES. 

Legal  complication.s  which  have  presented  them- 
selves may  yet  intervene  to  prevent  the  detail  of  a 
company  of  United  States  troops  to  Alaska  to  assist 
in  maintaining  the  peace  in  tlu  Klondyke  region. 
These  complications  presented  themselves  as  soon  as 
the  subject  was  first  broached  and  have  been  the 
source  of  some  annoyance  to  the  officials  who  feel  that 
a  law-preserving  body  of  men  is  essential  to  the  well 
being  of  the  people  who  are  flocking  to  the  gold 
country. 

The  question  was  discussed  by  the  president  and 
Secretary  Alger  at  the  White  Hourse  tonight,  but  no 
decision  was  reached.  Secretary  Alger  thinks  the 
matter  will  be  settled  before  the  president's  departure 
from  tKe  city  tomorrow.  The  president  and  his 
cabinet  hope  that  a  satisfactory  conclusion  may  be 
arrived  at  so  that  a  detachment  of  soldiers  can  be  sent 
to  the  territory. 

The  commrinder  of  the  troops  will  be  Captain  P. 
H.  Ray,  a  man  well  known  for  his  soldierly  ability  and 
wilik  a  nne  reputation  as  a  leader  of  expeditions,  hav- 
ing established  the  United  States  relief  station  at 
Point  Barrow,  the  farthest  north  in  Alaska.  He  win- 
tered at  this  exposed  and  frigid  place  and  is  well 


53JK  -'SOv''*.; 


A(»i      'Ti.tt-  I'j..: 


.ai,wiK<>'..<'M' 


V* 


AND  THB  OOLD  VIELDS  OF  ALASKA.  MB 

acquainted  with  the  wants  of  the  proected  expedi- 
tion. 

Orders  have  been  sent  to  San  Francisco  to  provide 
everything  necessary  in  the  way  of  ample  supplies  of 
food  and  heavy  winter  clothing,  and  an  order  has 
^een  telegraphed  to  Philadelphia  to  send  along  a 
number  of  tents  of  a  new  description  constructed  to 
keep  out  the  cold  arctic  winds. 

FORT  ALGER. 

Vice  President  P.  B.  Weare  of  the  North  American 
Transportation  and  Trading  company  has  been  in- 
formed by  Secretary  of  War  Alger  that,  at  the  re- 
quest of  President  McKinley,  ho  had  ordered  Captain 
Abercrombie,  with  five  other  officers  and  fifty-six  men 
of  the  Eighth  infantry,  now  stationed  at  Fort  Harri- 
son, Montana,  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  Yukon. 
They  will  proceed  to  Seattle'  and  embark  aboard  the 
steamship  Grover  Cleveland. 

The  new  post  will  be  lalled  I'ort  Alger,  in  honor 
of  the  secretary  of  war.  It  will  be  erected  a  few  miles 
north  of  Circle  City,  and  as  near  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  the  American  possessions  as  possible.  Circle 
City  is  about  250  miles  down  t^e  Yukon  from  Dawson 
and  the  Klondyke  gold  fields. 

No  doubt  the  personal  efforts  of  Secretary  Gage 
served  to  secure  prompt  action  on  the  part  of  the  gov- 
erimient  in  the  protection  of  life  and  property  in  the 
new  gold  fields.  The  Canadian  government  has  sent 
eighty  men  overland.  They  will  establish  a  post  at 
iJawson,  just  north  of  tlie  American  line. 

Concerning  transportation  facilities  on  the  Yukon 
for  next  season,  Mr.  Weare  said: 

"We  have  ordered  all  the  material  and  machinery 
for  an  800-ton  light  draft  steamboat,  up-to-date  in 
every  particular,  including  electric  lights,  to  be  built 
this  fall  at  St.  Micliael's  island.  She  will  be  nametl 
John  Cudahy.  and  w  ill  bo  fitted  for  passengers  as  well 
as  freight.    The  ship  yard  is  at  Fort  Git  There. 


IM     OFFICIAL  OUIDB  TO  TU»  KLONDTKB  COUlTfRT 


I 


FORT  GIT  THERE. 

"In  the  interests  of  correct  American  nomenclature, 
please  get  the  name  of  the  fort  at  St.  Michael's  island 
just  as  It  is:  Fort  Git  There.  This  is  no  antediluvian 
Russian  name,  but  a  real  United  States  name.  We 
gave  it  that  name  live  years  ago  because  we  had  such 
a  time  getting  tliere. 

"We  are  also  building  a  very  light  draft  steamer, 
which  will  run  on  eighteen  inches  of  water.  She  will 
be  called  the  Klondyke  and  will  be  employed  to  tow 
barges  during  the  low  water  stage  in  the  Yukon.  We 
are  constnicting  five  200-ton  barges,  which,  when 
loaded,  will  draw  not  to  exceed  twenty-four  inches. 
We  have  bought  and  will  take  to  St.  Michael's  island 
a  very  powerful  tug,  which  will  be  employed  to  tow 
barges  with  supplies  from  Fort  Git  There  to  the  town 
of  -Weare,  500  miles  up  the  Yukon.  She  will  make 
two  trips  this  fall. 

"The  mouth  of  the  Yukon  is  choked  up  by  drift  in 
from  the  Bering  sea  until  early  in  July^  fully  one 
month  after  navigation  of  the  inner  river  has  opened. 
We  can  do  at  least  four  weeks  work  inside  before 
the  mouth  of  the  river  is  navigable.  We  shall  winter 
all  our  boats  about  400  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon." 

AN  EXPERT  DETAILED. 

Recognizing  the  importance  of  the  recent  gold  dis- 
coveries in  Alaska  and  adjoining  territory,  and  in  obe- 
dience to  the  widespread  demand  for  authentic  in- 
formation in  regard  thtreto.the  commissioner  of  labor 
has  detailed  from  his  regular  force  an  expert,  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  all  the  features  of  gold  mining, 
to  proceed  immediately  to  the  Klondyke  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  a  careful  and  exhaustive  study  of  the 
conditions  as  they  exist  there. 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  commissioner  to  embody 
the  facts  in  a  special  report,  or  bulletin,  of  the  depart- 
ment, which  will  appear  at  as  early  a  date  as  pos- 
sible. 


*! 


AMD  THV  OOLO  VIBLDB  OF  ALAIKA.  Mt 

Such  a  report  as  that  contemplated,  giving  the  un- 
biased facts  as  to  the  opportunities  for  the  investment 
of  capital  and  the  employment  of  labor,  wages,  cori 
of  living,  etc.,  he  believes  will  be  of  great  value  to  the 
people  of  this  country. 

CANADA'S  ACTION. 

The  minister  of  the  interior  in  carrying  out  the  pol- 
icy of  the  government  as  to  the  imposition  of  the  new 
royalties  on  the  yield  of  the  gold  claims,  decided  to 
defer  active  measures  until  fully  advised  from  officials 
of  the  government  on  the  spot.  It  is  realized  that 
this  tax  and  the  preserving  of  every  alternate  claim  will 
be  regarded  with  resentment,  and  no  attempt  to  en- 
force the  regulations  will  be  made  until  they  have 
been  thoroughly  explained  and  the  opportunity  given 
miners  of  considering  whether  they  will  submit  to 
the  laws  of  Canada  or  quit. 

Reports  received  by  the  government  indicate  that 
the  jumping  of  claims,  staking  of  claims  for  absentees 
and  other  fraudulent  acts  have  rendered  it  urgently 
necessary  in  the  interests  of  the  miners  themselves 
to  take  prompt  action  to  strengthen  the  administration 
of  the  law,  and  with  this  in  view  the  first  batches  of 
police  leave  as  quickly  as  the  men's  outfits  and  sup- 
plies can  be  gotten  together  and  forwarded. 

Letters  received  fromKlondyke  since  the  publication 
of  Government  Surveyor  Ogilvic's  reports  confirm  his 
estimates  of  the  vain**,  of  the  gold  fields.  Four  million 
dollars  per  claim  of  500  feet  was  an  average  shown  on 
an  estimated  value  of  $5  a  pan.  The  actual  washings 
were  $2  to  $7,  with  many  all  the  way  from  $10  to 
$50  and  some  over  $200.  This  estimate  applies  to 
an  extent  of  at  least  fifteen  miles  by  actual  results 
which  may  turn  out  to  be  three  or  four  times  as 
much.  The  estimate  of  the  entire  extent  of  gold 
streams  in  which  gold  can  be  found  on  the  Canadian 
is  put  at  1400  miles. 

POLICE  FOR  THE  KLONDYKE. 
The  Canadian  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  ha« 
given  urgent  orders  to  the  mounted  police  carrying 


WW'f'fiTf^^f 


•m     OFffrCIAi..  GUliDE  TO  THE  KLON'OTKK  COUNTRY 


i 


out  the  dectakm  o?  the  gfov«rnment  to  raise  th«  force 
in  the  Klondyke  gold  fields  immedsateiy  to  iot5  men. 
TlKy  are  to  f^o  in  squads  of  twenty  and  are  to  be  the 
pick  of  the  L  rce, 

Conrmunicalions  were  opened  with  Washington 
submitting  proposals  that  pending  the  f.r.r.'.  settlement 
of  the  exact  deJinsitation  of  the  boundary  free  passage 
may  be  conceded  to  Canada  to  tiie  first  poHce  post 
in  iindisputed  Canadian  terrijory  from  Lynn  Canal. 

BRITISH  COLUMBIA  SULKY. 

There  is  great  exciienient  in  British  Coknnbia  ow- 
in  to  the  (act  that  Canadians  are  making  nothing  out 
of  the  fabulous  finds  \\\  their  own  country.  Live 
Antericans  have  been  the  pioneers  in  the  Canadian 
Yukon,  as  well  as  at  Kootenai. 

Prominent  men  and  tlie  press  are  denianding  tliat 
the  DorninJon  government  place  cu.sto!ns  officials  at 
the  Canadian  passes,  At  present  American-i  are  pay- 
ing no  dut}',  and  are  getting  their  goods  in  Seattle 
and  other  American  towns,  lo  the  great  loss  of  British 
Columbia. 

CANADIAN  MINLMG  LAWS. 

A  person  going  int«  the  Vukon  fields  to  prospect 
for  gold  wlio  locates  a  claim  in  Canadian  territory 
must  be  guided  by  the  mining  laws  of  that  country. 
He  must,  therefore,  bear  in  mind  and  obey  these  reg- 
ulations, which  are  the  principal  features  of  the  stat- 
ute provided  for  governing  placer  miners  and  their 
locations  of  property.  Following  are  extracts  from 
the  Canadian  mining  regulations: 

7.  If  any  f)erson  or  persons  shall  discover  a  rew 
mine  and  such  a  discovery  shall  be  established  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  gold  commissioners,  a  claim  ior  the 
bar  diggings  750  feet  in  length  may  be  granted,  A 
new  stratum  of  aur'ferou  arth  or  gravel  situated  in  a 
locality  where  the  claiins  are  abandoned  shall  for  this 
pui-posc  be  deemed  a  new  mine,  although  the  same 
locality  shall  have  pre /iously  been  worked  <»t  ?i  differ* 


I 


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m: 


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.■#3^^^ 


m 


AND  THE  GOLD  ISIXLDB  OF  ALASKA. 


m 


I 


9.  A  claim  shall  be  recorded  with  the  gold  commis- 
sioner in  whose  district  it  is  situated  within  three  days 
after  the  location  thereof,  if  it  is  located  within  ten 
miles  of  the  commissioner's  office.  One  day  extra 
shall  be  allowed  for  making  such  record  for  every 
additjoniil  ten  miles  and  fraction  thereof. 

u.  Entry  shall  not  be  granted  for  a  claim  which  has 
jaot  been  staked  by  the  applicant  in  person  in  the  man- 
ner specified  in  these  regulations: 

12.  An  entry  fee  of  $15  shall  be  charged  for  the 
first  year  and  an  annual  fee  of  $10  for  each  of  the  fol- 
lowing years. 

13.  A^Utr  recording  a  -uim  the  removal  of  any  post 
by  the  holder  thereof,  or  any  person  acting  in  his  be- 
half, for  the  purpose  of  changing  the  boundaries  of 
his  claim  shall  art  as  a  forfeiture  of  the  claim. 

14.  The  entry  of  every  holder  for  a  grant  for  placer 
mitiing  must  be  renewed,  and  his  receipt  relinquished 
and  replaced  every  year,  ihe  entry  fee  being  paid  each 
year, 

15.  No  miner  shall  receive  a  grant  for  more  than 
one  mining  claim  in  the  same  locality,  but  the  same 
minor  may  hold  any  number  of  olami.s  by  purchase, 
and  any  number  of  miners  n>ay  unite  to  work  their 
claims  in  conmion  on  such  terms  as  they  may  ar- 
range, provifled  such  agreement  be  registered  with 
the  gold  conmiissioncr  and  a  fee  of  $5  paid  for  each 
registration. 

16.  Any  miner  or  mmers  mav  sell,  mortgage,  or  dis- 
pose of  his  or  their  claims,  provided  such  disposal  be 
registered  with  and  a  fee  of  $5  paid  to  the  gold  com- 
missionci',  who  shall  thereupon  give  the  assignee  a 
certificate  of  his  title. 

17.  Everv  miner  shall,  during  the  continuance  of  his 
grant,  have  the  exclusive  right  of  entry  upon  his  own 
claim  for  the  miner-like  working  thereof  and  the  con- 
struction of  a  residence  thereon,  and  shall  be  entitled 
exclusively  to  all  the  proceeds  realized  therefrom,  but 
he  ahall  have  no  surface  rights  therein. 

18.  Every  miner  shall  he  entitled  to  the  use  of  so 
much  of  the  water  naturally  flowing  through  or  past 
his  claim,  and  not  already  lawfully  appropriatcdj  at 


7J? 


1^    . 


f 


'»■ 


M     OFFICIAL  aUIDB  TO  THB  KLOMDTKB  COUNTRY 

shall»  in  the  opinion  of  the  gold  commissioner,  be 
necessary  for  the  working  thereof,  and  bhall  be  entitled 
to  drain  iiis  own  claim  free  of  charge. 

19.  A  claim  shall  be  deemed  to  be  abandoned  and 
open  to  occupation  and  entry  by  any  person  when  the 
same  shall  have  remained  unworked  on  working  days 
by  the  grantee  thereof,  or  by  some  person  in  his  be- 
half, for  the  space  of  seventy-two  hours,  unless  sick- 
ness or  other  reasonable  cause  may  be  shown  to  '  ic 
satisfaction  of  the  jjfold  commissioner,  or  unless  the 
grantee  is  absent  uu  leave  given  by  the  commissioner. 

DYEASl'EPOkT. 

In  view  of  the  present  rush  of  travel  to  the  Klon- 
dyke  gold  fields  Secretary  Gage  has  established  a  sub- 
port  of  entry  at  L>yea,  Alaska.  The  action  was  taken 
as  the  result  of  an  application  to  the  treasury  depart- 
ment by  Canada  for  permission  for  Canadian  vessels 
to  enter  at  Dyea,  Alaska,  and  land  passengers  and 
baggage  there.  Dyea  Is  about  fifty  miles  north  of 
Juneau,  and  it  was  desired  to  sav<*  passengers  the  an- 
noyance of  diseml)arking  at  Juikmu  and  awaiting  an- 
other steamer  for  Dyea,  the  head  of  navigation  on  this 
route  to  the  Yukon  frontier. 

Vessels  carrying  men,  provisions,  and  supplies  will 
be  allowed  to  proceed  past  Jiuieau  to  Dyea,  where  th'? 
supplies  are  to  be  put  into  bond  and  shipped  over  the 
short  intervening  stretch  of  United  States  territory 
to  the  British  Columbia  boundary  line  and  thence  to 
the  Klondyke  fields.  Ail  of  the  cabinet  were  agreed 
upon  the  course  to  be  taken.  In  the  brief  discussion 
over  the  matter  it  was  pointed  out  that  it  was  not  only 
p.  very  neighborly  action  to  take,  but  would  be  helpful 
to  citizens  of  the  United  States  as  well.  Nine-tenths 
or  thereabouts  of  the  men  now  rendezvoused  in  the 
gold  belt  belong  to  this  country,  it  was  stated,  and 
failure  to  make  the  concession  might  deprive  our  own 
citizens  of  needed  supplies.  Beyond  all  this,  it  was 
intimated  that  in  case  the  privilege  was  denied  by  this 
government  Canada  might  take  up  the  matter  and  by 
wty  of  retaliation  restrict  operations  ujK)n  lucb  part 


'Wl, 


hi 


^ 


i  i 


AND  THB  OOLD  FIVLD&  07  ALASKA.  Ill 

of  the  gold  fields  as  arc  on  Canadian  soil  to  citizens 
of  that  government. 

ONE  MAN  SUPREME. 

In  the  Klondykc  tlu'  sdIc  rrpriMiitativf  of  the  law 
in  the.  camp  is  the  Canadian  gold  commissioner  and 
a  few  mounted  police. 

The  powers  of  the  gold  commissioner  as  far  as 
regards  miners'  disputes  are  plenary,  l-Vom  his  de- 
cisions there  is  no  appeal. 

The  result  is  that  all  disputes  over  the  location  of 
claims  are  settled  offhand  and  at  once. 

He  simply  calls  all  parties  to  the  dispute  before 
him,  examines  thuu  himself  orally,  with  such  addi- 
tional testimony  as  they  have  to  offer,  and  forthwith 
renders  his  decision. 

The  whole  matter  may  occupy  from  half  an  hour  to 
half  a  day,  and  pro|)erty  rights  to  the  value  of  $i,ooo," 
ooo  have  been  settUtI  in  this  manner. 

CANADA  CLAIMS  IT  ALL. 

A  statement  appears  in  the  Canadian  press,  tele- 
graphed from  Washington,  to  the  eflfect  that  the  land 
conmiissioncr  of  the  United  States  government  stated 
his  intention  to  establish  land  agencies  in  the  Alaskan 
country  at  Circle  City  and  I)a\vson  City.  Canadian 
•otliorTtirs  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  gold 
fid<k  are  not  in  Alaska  at  all,  hut  are  in  Canada. 

Reference  to  tin-  ma|)  shows  that  Dawson  City  is 
fully  fifty  nulrs  east  of  Fort  Cudahy,  and  Fort  Cudahy 
is  distinctly  on  the  Canadian  side  of  the  boundary 
some  considerable  inimber  of  miles,  and  is  a  Canadian 
cunonis  rMitport. 

An  enmicnt  f  anadian  authority  says  every  acre  of 
mfning  di^nct  now  being  worked  and  every  milr 
of  the  stream  from  which  cjold  is  bcitig  taken  is  in 
Canadian  territory  .i  is  the  whole  of  the  Thron- 
Diuck  rt¥tr.  wifcfch  bei m^  at  Dawson  City  and  runs 
in  a  sonflu— tti^y  direction,  and  as  is  thr  whok  of  the 
Yukon  riv«r  fnMi  Fort  Cudahy  southward. 

The  S>>— Pt  ^mm  '»  Mitirely  in  Canadian  territory, 


i 
■J 


^'^raPSI 


^ 


m     OFFICIAL  QUIDS  TO  THB  KLONDTKB  COUNTAT 

as  is  also  the  major  portion  of  Forty  Mile  creek  and 
Sixty  Mile  river  and  their  tributaries. 

"THRON-DIUCK." 

The  government  has  been  advised  by  Mr.  Ogilvie 
and  has  adopted  the  advice  to  call  the  Kloiidyke  dis- 
trict and  river  by  the  proper  name  of  Thron-Diuck, 
which  is  the  Indian  name  belonjjing  to  it  and  means 
"Fish  Waters,"  the  river  being  a  great  salmon  tish- 
ing  stream. 

AFTER  REVENUE. 

The  Canadian  government  is  taking  steps  to  secure 
largely  increased  revenue  from  the  gold  districts  in 
the  Yukon  and  Klondyke  regions.  Both  the  Ameri- 
can and  Canadian  surveyors  agree  that  the  new  Gol- 
conda,  as  far  as  at  present  developed,  is  practically  all 
on  Canadian  soil.  As  a  result  effective  measures  arc 
being  planned  to  secure  adequate  payment  from  the 
miners  working  the  claims. 

The  customs  laws  of  the  district  were  at  first  admin- 
istered by  the  Canadian  mounted  police,  who  estab- 
lished posts  at  Cudahy  and  Forty  Mile  creek.  During 
the  first  year,  dating  from  the  original  discovery  tv/o 
years  ago,  they  collected  $15,000.  Encouraged  by 
the  prospects  thus  forcsharlowcd,  the  government  ap- 
pointed D.  W.  Davis,  a  former  member  of  parliament 
for  Alberta,  customs  officer  for  the  district,  and  his 
report,  recently  received,  swelled  the  receipts  to  $^5,- 
ooo.  It  is  believed  that  this  sum  will  be  greatly 
increased  under  the  rigorous  enforcement  of  the  laws 
now  planned. 

MORE  MILITARY  MATTERS 

At  present  the  goveriuuent  has  no  troop*  in  th«t 
vast  territory,  and  in  view  of  the  heavy  imnngrati<>n 
now  going  on  and  the  possible  danger  to  life  and  pro| 
erty  from  lawless  characters  it  hap  been  deemed  ex- 
pedient to  establish  a  post. 

The  commercial  interests  of  the  territory  are  at  the 
bottom  of  the  movement,  and  have  requested  that  & 
company  of  infantry  and  a  Gatling  gun  brigade  bt 


3;;"-:^V^*r. 


;^-'i»  '■ 


i 


AND  THU  GOLD  FIBLDS  OF  ALJkBKA. 


m 


located  at  a  post  to  ht  christened  "Fort  Alcw,**  near 
the  boundary  line,  about  250  miles  west  of  Klondyke 
and  3,000  miles  abov«  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  river. 
The  body  of  troops  is  asked  for  to  support  the  civil 
autliorities  in  the  administration  of  law  and  for  the 
prottction  of  vested  rights. 

It  was  suggested  that  troops  be  inarched  over  the 
Dyea  overland  route  to  the  post,  which  will  be  erected 
by  contract  for  j^overnment  use  if  desired,  but  this  will 
be  impossible  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  British  law, 
like  our  own,  would  not  permit  the  passage  of  foreign 
troops  over  British  territory  without  special  permis- 
sion. Therefore  the  troops  will  be  carried  up  the 
Yukon  in  a  steamer,  if  the  government  consents  to 
establish  the  post. 

LAND  OFFICE  NEEDS. 

The  increasing  number  of  gold-seekers  in  the  Yukon 
basin,  not  only  in  the  Klondyke  region  in  British 
Columbia,  but  in  Aifska  also,  has  impressed  officials 
of  the  government  in  Washington  anew  with  the  neces- 
sity of  re-enforcing  the  agencies  of  the  government 
in  the  latter.  From  Circle  City,  on  the  Yukon,  during 
the  last  few  months,  have  come  the  most  urgent  appeals 
and  demands  to  have  the  mineral  land  laws  of  th< 
United  .States  extended  over  th<  surrounding  region, 
and  it  is  probable  that  in  his  first  annual  report  to  con- 
gress Secretary  Bliss  <jf  the  interior  department  will 
approve  the  recommend  ition  of  Commissioner  Herr- 
mann of  the  general  land  office,  that  this  be  done,  and 
also  that  a  fully  equippt  il  local  land  office  be  estab- 
lished at  Circle  City. 

Of  course  neither  of  the  things  can  be  done  until 
after  authority  ha«  iK'en  given  by  congress.  Among 
members  of  tfiat  body  a  strong  indisposition  has  been 
manifested  toward  the  extension  of  the  powers  and 
agencies  of  civil  government  over  Alaska  ever  since 
the  acquisition  of  the  territory  thirty  years  ago,  becari«e 
of  the  meager  population  and  the  apparent  lack  ol 
necessity  for  sturn  legislation. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  Maj.  Laccy   will  visit 


^ 


w 


':-^ 


m     OPFICIAl.  OUIDB  1^  THB  KLONDYKR  COUNTRY 

Alaska  after  th«  a  ijournment  of  congress  and  by  per- 
sonal investigatioi.  and  observation  try  to  discover 
what  legislation  in  regard  to  the  public  land<^  in  that 
territory  would  be  expedient  and  wise  in  order  to 
meet  existing  conditions. 

SECRETARY  RYAN  TALKS. 

First  Assistant  Secretary  Ryan,  of  the  interior  de- 
partment, who  has  jurisdiction  of  matters  relating  to 
territories,  and  who  superviseis  tho  government  of 
Alaska,  talked  interestingly  regarding  the  strength  of 
^F'  the  government  of  Alaska  and  its  resources  for  taking 
care  of  the  citizens  there. 

"There  is  no  disguising  the  fact  that  the  force  em- 
ployed in  the  civil  government  in  Alaska  is  entirely 
inadequate,"  he  said,  "if  there  is  any  appreciable  in- 
crease in  the  population  at  points  remote  from  the 
towns  where  the  government  officials  are  now  located. 

"We  are  limited  by  the  law  to  a  fixed  number  of 
officials,  and,  while  an  effort  has  been  made  to  increase 
the  force,  congress  has  only  authorized  four  additional 
commissioners  and  four  deputy  commissioners.  The 
active  force  in  the  territory  that  has  to  carry  on  the 
civil  government  is  small.  The  police  force,  as  you 
might  term  it,  consists  of  a  United  States  marshal  and 
eight  deputy  marshals,  eight  l/nited  States  commis- 
sioners, and  eight  deputy  commissioners.  Of  coursp, 
in  case  of  trouble  the  marshal  could  exercise  the  power 
of  a  high  sheriff  and  summon  the  posse  comitatus." 

GOVERNMENT  WILL  AID. 

Secretary  of  Agriculture  Wilson  believes  that  c6n- 
gress  at  its  next  session  wiU  authorize  the  establish- 
ment of  an  agricultural  experiment  station  in  Alaska. 
He  said  to-day  he  had  no  doubt  the  people  in  some 
parts  of  Alaska  would  be  able  to  produce  their  own 
vegetables,  and  to  .some  extent  the  cereals  they  will 
need.  The  hardy  classes  of  animals,  he  said,  also, 
could  be  raised  there.  The  cattle  from  th€  mountains 
of  Scotland,  he  believed,  could  be  raised  successfully 
in  Alaska,  but  so  far  as  is  known  now  the  mining 


r%. 


1 


AKP  THS  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  AUktKA. 


m 


regions  in  the  vicinity  of  the  headwaters  of  the  Yukon 
river  are  about  a  thousand  miles  away  from  any  part 
of  Alaska  in  which  agriculture  could  be  successuiUy 
pursued. 

Recognizing  the  importance  of  the  great  gold  dis- 
coveries in  Alaska  and  adjoining  territory,  and  in 
obedience  to  the  widespread  demand  for  authentic 
information  in  regard  thereto,  the  commissioner  of 
labor  has  detailed  from  his  regular  force  an  expert, 
thoroughly  familiar  with  all  the  features  of  gold  min- 
ing, to  proceed  immediately  to  the  Klondyke  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  careful  and  exhaustive  study  of 
the  conditions  as  th«y  exist  there.  It  is  th'i  intention 
of  the  commissioner  to  embody  the  facts  in  a  special 
report  or  bulletin  of  the  department,  which  will  appear 
at  an  early  a  date  as  possiljle. 

This  is  a  subject  of  absorbing  interest  to  all  classes 
and  in  making  this  investigation  the  commissioner 
feels  that  he  is  working  in  the  interest  of  the  unem- 
ployed. Such  a  report  as  that  rontemplated,  giving 
the  unbiased  facts  as  to  the  opportunities  for  the 
inveetment  of  capital  and  the  employment  of  labor, 
wages,  cost  of  living,  etc.,  he  believes  will  be  of  great 
value  to  the  people  of  this  country. 

HERMANN'S  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Commissioner  Hermann  of  the  general  land  office 
will  recommend  the  estabUshnu'ut  of  two  land  districts 
in  western  Alaska,  and  \\\o  offices  to  be  placed  on  the 
Yukon  river  or  its  tributaries,  iii  anticipation  of  a  great 
numbi  r  of  contentious  over  miiura!  lanti  locations  in 
various  sections  where  the  gold  discoveries  have  been 
made. 

He  says  that  as  that  region  is  practically  without 
law,  especially  as  to  the  settlement  of  contests,  the 
local  land  of!ke  will  b*.-  of  inestimable  value  to  the  land 
interest."'  and  indirectly  to  the  preservation  of  law  and 
order. 

The  ofhccs,  it  is  probable,  will  be  located  at  Circle 
City  and  Dawson  City.  The  gftieral  land  office  is  in 
hourly  exp  ctation  of  petitions  and  requests  for  such 
action. 


"*,■ 

.i\,'- 


Hs-^.  :f:;f':M;«;  ;■' 


I- 


m     OmCUL  OUIDB  TO  THB  KXX>NDTK1  COUNTRY 


CONGRESSIONAL  ACTION. 

In  the  National  House  of  Representatives  on  July 
22nd  Mr.  Lacey  of  Iowa  secured  unanimous  consent 
for  the  consideration  of  a  bill  to  attend  the  act  creat- 
ins^  a  civil  government  in  Alaska. 

It  was  identical  with  the  bill  passed  by  the  house 
at  the  last  session,  creating  a  surveyor  general  and  a 
register  and  receiver  of  the  general  land  office. 

It,  however,  contained  an  additional  feature  em- 
powering the  president  to  create  an  additional  land 
district. 

Mr.  Lacey  explained  that  the  Yukon  gold  discov- 
eries rendered  an  additional  land  office  imperative. 

In  answer  to  a  question,  he  said  the  gold  fields  lay 
in  both  the  United  States  and  British  N^nh  Ame-ica. 

The  Klondyke  region  was  in  Canadi 

The  bill  was  passed. 


WW^'"^i'^-^^i'^^ 


)'*!  ^l>. 


',  •■•r}:rr-"\:"^-;.^fitm 


7i' 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  TERRITORY  OF  ALASKA. 

Early  HIstor}'  of  Alaska — The  Purchase  of  Alaska — 
Early  Day  Statistics — Character  of  the  I'opulation — 
Principal  Imlustrics  of  Alaska — The  Country  and  Its 
Extent — Before  the  I'urchase — The  Great  Yukon — 
Boundary  Line — Alaskan  Dogs. 


The  northwest  coast  of  that  part  of  America  em- 
bracing Alaska  was  discovered  and  explored  by  a 
Russian  expedition  under  Behring  in  1741;  and  at 
subsequent  periods  settlements  were  made  by  the  Rus- 
sians at  various  places,  chiefly  lor  the  prosecution  of 
the  fur  trade.  In  1799  the  territory  was  granted  to  a 
Russo-American  fur  company  by  the  Emperor  Paul 
VIII.,  and  in  1839  the  charter  of  the  company  was  re- 
newed. New  Archangel,  in  the  island  of  Sitka,  was 
the  principal  settlement,  but  the  company  had  about 
forty  stations.  They  exported  annually  25,000  skins 
of  the  seal,  sea-otttr,  beaver,  etc.,  besides  about  20,000 
sea-horse  teeth.  The  privileges  of  the  company  ex- 
pired in  iH^)^.  aii<l  in  1867  the  whole  Russian  posses- 
sions in  America  were  ceded  to  the  United  States  for 
a  money  i)aynunt  of  $7,200,000.  The  treaty  was 
signed  on  30th  March,  and  ratified  on  20th  June,  1867, 
and  on  9tii  October  following,  the  possession  of  the 
country  was  formally  made  over  to  a  military  force  of 
the  Unitetl  States  at  N'ew  Archangel.  It  still  remains 
in  the  military  keeping  of  the  L'nited  States,  no  steps 
having  been  taken  to  organize  a  territorial  govern- 
ment.    It  has,  however,  been  constituted  a  revenue 

m 


*m 


I   ovncxAL  oumB  to  tri  klondtxb  couAtrt 

district,  with  New  Archangel,  or  Sitka»  us  the  ^rt 
of  entry.  Since  Alaska  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States  considerable  information  has  been  collected  as 
to  the  resources  of  the  less  sterile  parts  of  the  country; 
but  the  central  and  northern  parts  of  this  region  arc 
only  known  as  the  inhospitable  home  of  some  wan- 
dering tribes  of  Indians  and  Esquimaux.  Portions 
of  Alaska  have  also  been  recently  explored  by  the  em- 
ployes of  the  Russo-American  Telegraph  Company  in 
surveying  a  route  for  a  line  of  telegraph  which  was 
designed  to  cross  from  America  to  Asia  near  Behring 
Strait,  a  project  which  was  abandoned,  after  an  ex- 
penditure of  600,000  pounds,  on  communication  with 
Europe  being  secured  by  the  Atlantic  cable. 

THE  PURCHASE  OF  ALASKA. 

With  an  area  of  577,390  square  miles,  Alaska  was 
acquired  by  purchase  from  Russia  March  30,  1867, 
the  treaty  being  ratified  June  20  of  that  year,  and  the 
transfer  completed  in  October.  The  negotiations  were 
made  through  W.  H.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State,  and 
the  purchase  price  was  $7,200,000.  The  exact  bound- 
aries of  the  territory  were  not  known  at  the  time,  and 
they  are  yet  in  a  state  of  interesting  uncertainty,  de- 
pending largely  on  the  annals  of  the  Russian  mission- 
aries and  on  the  scant  records  handed  down  by  the 
Hudson  Bay  company. 

EARLY  DAY  STATISTICS. 

When  Alaska  was  aimexed  the  population  was 
stated  by  the  Russian  missionaries  at  33,426,  of  whom 
but  430  were  whites.  The  mixed  race,  termed  Creoles 
— counted  1,756,  and  were  the  practical  leaders,  using 
the  Indian  tribes  for  hunting  and  fishing.  Fur  trade 
and  the  fisheries  were  at  that  time  the  only  known 
resources.  As  early  as  1880,  however,  the  sea  otters 
shipped  represented  a  value  of  $600,000,  the  fur  seals 
over  $1,000,000,  the  land  furs  $80,000,  and  the  fish- 
erics  from  $12,000  to  $i 5,000. 

Mineral  riches  were  hinted  at  by  the  early  explorers. 
In  1885  the  Director  of  the  Mint  credited  Alaska  with 


**  *»*■#, 


I 


AKD  THB  GOLD  7IBLD8  OT  AUiBKA. 


m 


$300,000  in  gold  and  $a,ooo  in  silver,  the  chief  con- 
tributor being  the  Alaska  mill  at  Douglas  City.  In 
1896  the  gold  product  reached  $i.c)48,9oo.  showing 
a  gain  over  1895  emial  to  $386,100.  For  1897  the 
gold  output  is  placed  by  good  judges  at  not  less  than 
$10,000,000,  which  is  nearly  twice  that  of  Colorado 
in   1892. 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  POPULATION. 

The  census  enumeration  of  1890,  though,  gave  the 
population  of  the  territory  as  30,329,  of  whom  4,416 
were  whites,  82  blacks,  1,568  half-bred  Indians  and 
Chinese  and  8,400  Esquimaux.  The  number  of  whites 
has  probably  been  more  than  doubled  since  then,  how- 
ever, as  the  Alaskan  gold  fever  set  in  in  mild  form 
three  or  four  years  ago.  One  would  hardly  think  of 
going  to  Alaska  for  the  social  advantages  of  the  place. 

PRINCIPAL  INDUSTRIES  OF  ALASKA. 

When  travelers  were  asked  as  late  as  two  or  three 
years  ago  what  were  the  principal  pursuits  in  Alaska 
they  replied,  of  course,  that  fishing  and  hunting  fur- 
nished occupation  for  the  greater  part  of  the  popula- 
tion. What  else  was  to  be  expected  from  a  popula- 
tion made  up  mainly  of  Esquimaux  and  Indians? 
In  the  Sitka  district  there  are  magnificent  forests  and 
lumbering  is  an  industry,  but  in  the  barren,  icy  north 
the  occupation  of  the  Indian  was  to  shoot  and  trap 
the  bear,  the  fox,  the  otter  and  the  other  animals  whose 
fur  would  bring  a  price  in  the  markets  of  the  world, 
to  catch  the  seals  and  spear  the  whale  and  catch  the 
other  fish  or  game  that  could  be  turned  into  money. 
Salmon  canning  is  the  great  industry  of  the  Kadiak 
district,  and  has  been  for  years. 

Of  late,  however,  and  particularly  within  the  past 
few  weeks,  the  other  industries  of  Alaska  have  sunk 
almost  out  of  sight  because  of  the  new  gold  flurry. 
Mining,  of  course,  is  the  industry  of  the  white  man. 
Virgin  gold  might  have  lain  in  plain  sight  in  the  rocks 
to  a  limitless  extent  and  in  all  probability  the  Indians 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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and  the  Esquimaux  would  never  have  touched  it.  Food 
and  furs  are  the  standard  of  value  with  them.  Gold 
fills  no  Esquimau  stomachs  and  keeps  no  Esquimau 
body  warm. 

But  with  the  white  man  it  was  different.  He  came, 
he  saw,  he  dug,  and  in  the  digging  he  found  riches. 
Glittering  gold  greeted  his  eyes,  and  the  fever  of  gold 
is  upon  us. 

THE  COUNTRY  AND  ITS  EXTENT. 

The  name  "Alaska"  is  a  corruption  of  Al-ay-ek-sa, ' 
the  name  given  by  the  native  islanders  to  the  main- 
land, and  signifies  "great  country."  It  contains 
nearly  600,000  square  miles  of  territory,  or  is  nearly 
one-fifth  as  large  as  all  the  other  states  and  territories 
combined.  It  is  larger  than  twelve  states  the  size  of 
New  York. 

The  distance  from  the  center  of  the  United  States 
is  about  6,500  miles  via  the  Yukon  and  via  the  Chil- 
koot  Pass  about  4,000.  The  cost  of  a  trip  either  way 
is  about  $300  and  it  takes  thirty  days  to  make  it. 

The  miner  of  Alaska  looks  to  the  Yukon  country 
for  a  reproduction  of  the  scenes  of  the  Cassiar  and 
Cariboo  districts.  That  along  that  river  and  its  nu- 
merous tribu^iries  there  are  millions  of  dollars  hidden 
in  the  sands  or  locked  within  the  mountains,  rock- 
bound  walls  there  can  be  no  doubt.  For  several 
years  the  more  adventuresome  of  our  placer  miners 
have  been  going  to  that  Mecca  of  the  North — Forty- 
mile  creek.  Many  of  them  have  returned  after  one 
or  two  seasons'  sojourn  none  the  richer,  save  in  ex- 
perience; others  have  struck  it  rich  and  made  for 
themselves  snug  little  fortunes,  and  a  thousand  others 
are  wintering  there  now  hoping  that  next  summer 
may  bring  them  that  good  luck  for  which  they  have 
so  long  waited. 

The  Yukon  country  will  never  be  anything  but  a 

'mining  one.    It  is  a  country  of  great  mineral  wealth, 

very  extensive,  and  the  nature  of  the  country  is  such 

that  it  will  take  centuries  to  exhaust  it.    There  is  a 

large  area  of  country  yet  unexplored.    Interior  trans- 


j'jftffijgi'vp^i'tfr  i:^^i/M;'  A.'^&'ii >* i;.'*''  ■  ><,!  if-JI'.'  .31, 


iWliilMI 


feW:iV 


m, 


iiiiilil^ 


AND  fIfB  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 


portation  is  difficult.  Cost  of  living  necessarily  quite 
high;  yet,  compared  with  the  opening  of  other  new 
countries,  very  moderate. 

Yet  this  country  is  so  vast,  covered  with  a  net-work 
of  virgin  streams,  all  of  the  known  mineral  wealth 
that  the  opportunities  are  almost  unlimited,  and  no 
hardy,  energetic  man,  physically  fitted  and  financially 
fixed,  who  has  the  courage  and  determination  to  face 
the  particular  hardships  and  privations  of  prospecting 
and  mining  Alaska's  interior,  need  hesitate  for  fear 
that  the  field  will  all  be  taken. 

There  is  no  opening  in  the  mercantile  line,  owing 
to  the  difficulties  of  transportation.  At  the  trading 
posts  there  are  large  stores,  well  stocked  with  all 
kinds  of  general  merchandise,  and  they  supply  the 
miners  with  everything  they  can  possibly  need,  and  at 
very  reasonable  prices. 

BEFORE  THE  PURCHASE. 

Very  little  was  known  of  the  aborigines  of  the  Yti- 
kon  valley  before  the  purchase  of  Alaska. 

The  Russian  fur  company  had  two  trading  stations 
in  the  country,  one  at  St,  Michael's,  and  the  other 
about  six  hundred  miles  up  the  Yukon  river,  at  a 
place  called  by  the  IndiaiiS  Nulatto  (place  of  dog  sal- 
mon), from  which  point  they  made  annual  trips  as  far 
up  as  the  mouth  of  the  Tanana  river,  for  the  purpose 
of  trading  with  the  natives  of  that  region.  It  was 
wholly  to  the  advantage  of  the  company  to  let  as  little 
as  possible  be  known  of  the  interior,  as  by  so  doing 
they  were  not  so  likely  to  have  other  people  coming 
into  Alaska,  seeking  their  fortune  in  furs,  which 
wxxild  take  away  some  of  the  large  profits  which  they 
gained  in  the  vast  fur  trade  which  they  had  at  that 
time. 

The  Indians  at  the  time  of  the  purchase  of  Alaska 
were  a  wild  lot  of  savages,  who  had  not  the  remotest 
idea  of  Christianity,  and  were  guided  wholly  by  the 
"shaman,"  or  medicine  man,  whose  word  was  law, 
and  whatever  he  said  or  did  was  taken  as  a  fact  by 
them  and  not  to  be  disputed. 


iVv^r-'  !■-.'■■>:/<■ 


I 


i 


[i- 

1  ■ ' 

■■'■  I 

i' 

p 


In         p  wt 


OFFICIAL  OtJItm  fO  THK  KLONDYKB  COUNTRY 


From  the  delta  of  the  Yukon  to  the  Xanana,  the 
customs  of  the  Indians  were  the  same,  and  one  de- 
scription will  suffice  for  the  different  tribes  living  in 
the  above  named  portion  of  the  valley. 

From  the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle  of  August, 
they  were  engaged  in  catching  and  drying  salmon 
and  oth'r  fish  for  their  winter  use,  after  which  time 
they  went  to  the  mountains  for  their  fall  hunt,  the 
caribou  being  their  principal  chase,  the  skins  of  which 
Were  used  for  clothing. 

After  their  fishing  and  fall  hunting  seasons  were 
over,  and  the  long  cold  winter  came  on,  they  went 
into  their  "Barbaras,"  or  underground  houses,  where 
they  remained  during  the  coldest  part  of  the  winter, 
visiting,  fieasting  and  dancing. 

About  the  first  of  February,  their  provisions  having 
given  out,  they  went  to  the  mountains  in  search  of 
game  for  food,  and  from  that  time  on,  while  the  trap- 
ping season  lasted,  they  made  their  largest  catch  of 
Itirs.  From  the  Xanana,  up  the  Yukon,  the  Indians 
lived  a  little  different,  though  their  pursuits  were  about 
the  same;  they  lived  together  in  deer-skin  lodges  in 
the  winter,  the  underground  houses  not  being  Used 
by  them  at  all.  At  that  time  a  tent,  pants,  shirt,  hat 
or  any  civilized  .clothing  was  a  rare  thing  among 
them. 

Since  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  established 
trading  stations  along  the  river,  there  is  a  vast  change 
noticed  among  the  natives ;  now,  in  the  summer  time, 
they  live  in  good  drill  tents,  and  since  the  missions 
have  been  established  they  have  given  up  their  under- 
ground houses,  and  have  built  good  comfortable 
cabins  that  have  stoves,  and  dress  better,  and  are 
cleaner  and  far  healthier  than  formerly. 

XHE  GREAX  YUKON. 

What  the  Amazon  is  to  South  America,  the  Missis- 
sippi to  the  central  portion  of  the  United  States,  the 
Yukon  is  to  Alaska.  It  is  a  great  inland  highway, 
ivliich  wfll  make  it  possible  for  the  explorer  to  pene- 
trate the  mysterious  fastnesses  of  that  still  unknown 


mmwmfmm^m'' 


AND  THE  aOLD  FIBflLDB  OP  4TtAHKA. 


region.  The  Yukon  has  its  source  in  the  Rocky 
mountains  of  British  Columbia  and  the  Coast  Range 
mountains  in  southeastern  Alaska,  about  125  miles 
from  the  city  of  Juneau,  which  is  the  present  metropolis 
of  Alaska.  But  it  is  only  known  as  the  Yukon  river 
at  the  point  where  the  Pelly  river,  the  branch  that 
heads  in  British  Columbia,  meets  with  the  Lewis  river, 
which  heads  in  southeastern  Alaska.  This  point  of 
confluence  is  at  Fort  Selkirk,  in  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory, about  125  miles  southeast  of  the  Klondyke.  The 
Yukon  proper  is  2,044  miles  in  len^h.  From  Fort 
Selkirk  it  flows  northwest  400  miles,  just  touching  the 
Arctic  circle;  thence  southward  for  a  distance  of  1,000 
miles,  where  it  empties  into  Behring  Sea.  It  drains 
more  than  600,000  square  miles  of  territory,  and  dis- 
charges one-third  more  water  into  Behring  Sea  than 
does  the  Mississippi  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  At  its 
mouth  it  is  sixty  miles  wide.  About  1,500  miles  inland 
it  widens  out  from  one  to  ten  miles.  A  thousand 
islands  send  the  channel  in  as  many  diflferent  direc- 
tions. Only  natives  who  are  thoroughly  familiar  with 
the  river  are  entrusted  with  the  piloting  of  boats  up  the 
stream  during  the  season  of  low  water.  Even  at  the 
season  of  high  water  it  is  still  so  shallow  as  not  to  be 
navigable  anywhere  by  seagoing  vessels,  but  only  by 
flat-bottomed  boats  with  a  carrying  capacity  of  four 
to  five  hundred  tons. 

A  further  fact  must  be  borne  in  mind.  The  Yukon 
river  is  absolutely  closed  to  travel  save  during  the  sum- 
mer months.  In  the  winter  the  Frost  King  asserts 
his  dominion  and  locks  up  all  approaches  with  im- 
penetrable ice,  and  the  summer  is  of  the  briefest.  It 
endures  only  for  ten  or  twelve  weeks,  from  about  the 
middle  of  June  to  the  early  part  of  September.  Then 
an  unending  panorama  of  extraordinary  picturcsque- 
ness  is  unfolded  to  the  voyager.  The  banks  are  fringed 
with  flowers,  carpeted  with  the  all  pervading  moss  or 
tundra.  ^  Birds  countless  in  numbers  and  of  infinite 
variety  in  plumage,  sing  out  a  welcome  from  every 
tree  top.  Pitch  your  tent  where  you  will  in  midsum- 
mer, a  bed  of  roses,  a  clump  of  poppies  and  a  bunch 


:\i    vfr.. 


mmmmmm 


;  jHf  ^:!^^^^] 


stt   ofuclajl  oumig  to  thb  kloswckb  country 


m 


'9a 


^i 


|ii 


-; 


of  blue  bells  will  adorn  your  camping.  But  hi^h  above 
this  paradise  of  almost  tropical  exuberance  giant  gla- 
ciers sleep  in  the  summit  of  the  mountain  wall  which 
rises  up  from  a  bed  of  roses.  By  September  every- 
thing is  changed.  The  bed  of  roses  has  disappeared 
before  the  icy  breath  of  the  Winter  King,  which  sends 
the  thermometer  down  to  eighty  degrees  below  freez- 
ing point.  The  birds  fly  to  the  southland,  the  white 
man  to  his  cabin,  the  Indian  to  his  hut,  and  the  bear 
to  his  sleeping  chamber  in  the  mountains.  Every 
stream  becomes  a  sheet  of  ice,  mountain  and  valley 
alike  are  covered  with  snow. 

That  part  of  the  basin  of  the  Yukon  in  which  gold  in 
greater  or  less  quantities  has  actually  been  found  lies 
partly  in  Alaska  and  partly  in  British  territory.  It 
covers  an  area  of  some  50,000  square  miles.  But  so  far 
the  infinitely  richest  spot  lies  some  one  hundred  miles 
West  of  the  American  boundary,  in  the  region  drained 
by  the  Klondyke  and  its  tributaries.  This  is  some 
three  hundred  miles  by  river  from  Circle  City,  which 
marks  the  extreme  limit  beyond  which  even  flat  bot- 
tom boats  cannot  find  a  navigable  passage. 

BOUNDARY  LINE. 

The  first  attempt  at  defining  the  Alaskan  boundary 
was  made  by  Lieut.  Schwatka,  who  in  1883  made  a 
rough  and  necessarily  crude  survey  of  the  Lewes  and 
Pelly-Yukon  rivers  from  their  head  to  Fort  Yukon, 
situated  near  the  mouth  of  Porcupine  river,  a  distance 
of  about  soomiles.  Lieut.  Schwatka  determined  the  po- 
sition of  this  meridian  line  from  his  survey  and  located 
it  at  the  mouth  of  what  is  now  known  as  Mission  or 
American  creek,  on  the  headwaters  of  which  valuable 
discoveries  of  gold  are  now  being  made  on  the  Alaskan 
side. 

In  the  meantime  the  Canadian  mounted  police  are 
maintaining  orde.  and  making  judicial  awards  in  min- 
ing disputes,  without  any  particular  regard  for  the  line. 
In  relation  to  this  question  I  often  hear  the  wish  ex- 
pressed that  the  contention  will  be  finally  sett  led  by 
our  government  buying  all  the  Canadian  territory  west 


;.  i-; 


AND  TRB  GOLD  BlBtpS  OF  ALAI1X;i|L 


m 


S«l^>>.';: 


•    'pi 


of  the  Mackenzie  and  north  of  Portland  canal.  The 
statement  that  has  often  been  made  that  the  gold  is  all 
on  the  Alaskan  side  of  the  line  is  extremely  misleading. 
It  is  true  that  the  present  balance  seems  to  be  rather  in 
favor  of  the  Birch  creek  district  as  a  placer  ground,  but 
the  heart  of  the  ultimate  quartz  field — where  much  the 
greater  value  lies — will  possibly  be  higher  up  the  Yu- 
kon and  across  the  line. 

ALASKAN  DOGS. 

One  of  the  first  things  to  attract  attention  through- 
out the  entire  Yukon  basin  is  the  great  number  of 
dogs.  They  are  closely  related  to  the  wolf,  and  if 
they  are  not  natural  bom  thieves,  they  are  nothing. 
They  usually  celebrate  the  arrival  of  all  newcomers 
by  a  general  fight.  They  will  steal  anything  from  a  pair 
of  boots  to  a  side  of  bacon.  They  manifest  a  great 
degree  of  cunning  in  their  attempts  at  stealing.  Snow- 
shoes,  dog  harness,  and  the  like,  as  well  as  all  kinds  of 
uncanned  meats,  have  to  be  cached.  This  is  done  by 
erecting  a  strong  house  upon  posts,  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  above  ground,  for  tbe  safe  keeping  of  all  such 
articles.  As  previously  stated,  these  dogs  are  used  in 
freighting  to  the  mines  in  winter.  An  additional 
charge  of  two  cents  a  pound  is  made  on  bacon  and  all 
uncanned  meats  on  account  of  the  extra  trouble  to 
keep  that  class  of  goods  from  the  dogs.  The  howling 
of  wolves  would  be  pleasant  music  compared  with  the 
howling  of  these  dogs  at  pight.  Under  the  least  provo- 
cation, in  the  calm  of  tiight,  one  will  start  in  and 
almost  simultaneously  every  dog  within  five  miles  will 
join  in  a  general  uproar.  They  often  continue  their 
bowlings  for  hours.  In  spite  of  all  these  inconveniences 
the  dog  is  to  the  inhabitants  of  Yukon  what  the  rein- 
deer is  to  the  Laplander,  the  horse  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  plains.  In  winter  they  are  hitched  to  a  sleigh 
and  in  summer  loaded  with  packs. 


k 


'I 
hi 

P 

^1 


t 


k 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RESOURCES  OF  ALASKA. 

Early  Prospectors — Mines  of  the  Kootenay — Alaskan 
Mineral  Belt — First  Discovery  of  Gold  in  the  Yu- 
kon Valley — Gold  All  Over  Alaska — Where  Is 
Klondyke? — An  Unknown  Region — Very  Rich 
Yields — Prospects  in  the  Side  (jplchcs — May  Make 
a  Row — Dominion  Government  Stirred — Charges 
Land  Grabbing" — New  Post  Being  Constructed — 
Alaska  Richer  Than  Klondyke — A  Very-  Fortunate 
Circumstance — Great  Tread  well  Mine — Method  of 
Placer  Mining — Sluicing  for  Gold — Relative  Cost  of 
Mining  Gold — Importance  of  Second  Treatment — 
Prospects  for  Big  Yields. 

Indubitable  CAndences  have  been  coming  from  Alaska 
for  years  that  the  region  along  the  Upper  Yukon,  now 
so  much  talked  of  as  the  Klondyke,  is  immensely  rich 
in  placer  gold.  Long  ago  men  returned  from  that 
country  who  told  of  its  richness  and  who  were  anxious 
to  go  back  with  the  necessary  supplies  to  develop  the 
mines.  They  had  only  been  prepared  to  make  the 
slightest  investigation  and  Kence  can^e  back  poorer 
than  they  went.  This  of  itself  was  an  argument 
against  their  statements  and  theories  on  the  subject, 
and  therefore  they  were  unable  to  enlist  the  needed 
help.  There  were  those,  hovvever,  who  believed  these 
stories,  but  they  were  not  possessed  of  sufficient  means 
to  outfit  the  prospectors.  Some  of  them  had  sufficient 
courage  and  brawn  to  go  to  the  promised  Eldorado, 
and  with  the  returned  ones  as  guides  and  some  "on 
their  own  hook"  made  the  arduous  journeyi,  and  now 
from  those,  and  other  persons,  who  have,  in  one  way 
or  another,  been  led  to  seek  for  fortunes  amid  the 


&Vw;-.  :■ 


''^imd-\-^'»f 


AND  THB  <}OLD  FIBLDB  OV  ALAJBKA. 


m 


snows  and  glaciers,  mountains  and  turbulent  streams 
of^  Alaska,  comes  news  that  has  sent  a  t'riU  of  excite- 
ment throughout  the  world. 

•         MINES  OF  THE  KOOTENAY. 

During  the  last  year  or  two,  however,  newspapers, 
in  the  Northwest  particularly,  and  elsewhere,  sporadic- 
ally, have  published  numerous  articles  descriptive  of 
the  mineral  deposits  in  British  Columbia  just  north  of 
the  Washington  state  line,  and  of  the  wonderful  de- 
velopments of  all  those  regions.  It  may  be  safely  said 
that  this  information  made  little  impression.  The 
Kootenay  has  given  way  to  the  Klondyke,  and  now 
everything  pertaining  to  British  Columbia  and  Alaska 
is  of  intense  interest  to  millions  of  readers. 

ALASKAN  MINERAL  BELT. 

In  acquiring  the  Alaskan  territory,  though  the  Unit- 
ed States  moved  its  center,  figured  in  geographical 
miles,  not  in  area  or  population,  as  far  west  as  San 
Fran<isco.  The  country  now  extends  from  about  the 
65th  degree  of  longitude  up  at  the  far  east  corner  of 
Maiiie  to  the  I22d  degree  up  at  the  far  northwest  tip 
the  little  island  of  Attu,  1,000  miles  out  in  the  Pacific, 
beyond  the  Hawaiian  group,  which,  since  the  purchase 
of  Alaska,  has  really  been  our  western  land  limit. 

FIRST  DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  IN  THE  YU- 
KON VALLEY. 

In  the  spring  of  '83  four  miners,  namely,  Charles 
McConky,  Dick  Poplin,  George  Marx  and  Ben  Beach, 
outfitted  in  Juneau  to  prospect  the  interior.  Crossing 
the  divide  in  the  early  spring,  they  reached  the  lakes 
which  constitute  the  head  waters  of  the  Yukon  river, 
while  they  were  yet  frozen,  and  remained  there  build- 
ing their  boats  preparatory  to  going  down  the  river 
as  soon  as  the  opportunity  availed.  The  boats  built 
and  the  ice  having  disappeared,  they  continued  their 
journey  on  the  unknown  waters  of  the  Yukon. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  Stuart  river  and  be- 
ing favorably  impressed  that  their  fortunes  lay  in  that 


i.' 


r:; 


I  ^  ■  If 


Jf 


an   OFFICIAL  ovn>»  tc  trs  ki/>kz>tkb  couiitrt 

direction,  they  proceeded  to  stem  this  stream  in  the 
hopes  of  findmg  things  more  favorable,  as  they  had 
seen  nothing  that  they  had  considered  diggings  tip  to 
that  time.  They  had  traveled  about  four  miles  up  this 
river  when  thev  came  to  a  bar  that  carried  gold  ©f  a 
fine  order,  and  then  continued  up  the  river,  finding 
many  bars  which  afterwards  worked  to  the  satisfac> 
tion  of  the  owners. 

GOLD  ALL  OVER  ALASKA. 

Dr.  C.  F.  Dickenson,  of  Kodiak  island,  which  lies 
just  at  the  head  of  Cook's  inlet,  recently  said:  "When 
I  left  Kodiak  the  people  were  leaving  all  that  section 
of  country  and  flocking  in  the  direction  of  Klondyke. 
In  a  way,  the  situation  is  appalling,  for  many  of  the 
industries  are  left  practically  without  the  means  of  op- 
eration. 

"Mines  that  were  paying  handsomely  at  Cook's  In- 
let have  been  deserted. 

"In  my  opinion  there  are  just  as  good  placer  dig- 
gings to  be  found  at  Cook's  Inlet  as  in  the  Klondyke 
region. 

Tliere  is  not  a  foot  of  ground  in  all  that  country 
that  does  not  contain  gold  in  more  or  less  appreciable 
quantities. 

"There  is  room  there  for  thousands  of  men,  and 
there  is  certainly  no  better  place  in  the  world  for  a 
poor  man." 

There  is  good  reason  for  believing  from  the  reports 
of  men  well  acquainted  with  the  whole  region  that 
there  is  gold  to  be  found  anywhere  in  Alaska.  But  the 
people  rushed  to  Klondyke  as  though  all  the  rest  of 
the  territory  was  pest  ridden. 

WHERE  IS  KLONDYKE? 

Where  are  the  richest  of  the  mines  in  the  Alaska 
region? 

They  seem  to  be  in  the  Klondyke,  r  few  miles  over 
the  British  border.  They  were  discovered,  as  has 
been  said,  by  a  party  of  "tenderfeet,"  who,  against  the 
advice  of  the  old-timers  in    the  district,    wandered 


!rt!ftflK!«!K.i'.J 


AND  TRte  QOZ«I>  FIKtJMI  OF  ALAtKiL 


W 


"over  yonder  in  the  Klondyke"  and  struck  it  rich. 
From  Klondyke  conies  much  of  the  gold  and  from 
Klondyke  seems  to  come  all  the  excitement.  A  few 
"tenderfeet,"  going  it  blind,  have  stirred  up  the  na- 
tion. Out  of  the  region  of  their  discovery  has  come, 
it  is  estimated,  $2,000,000  worth  of  gold  during  the 
present  summer.  Nearly  all  of  that  gold  has  found 
its  way  into  the  United  States. 

It  is  hard  to  tell  where  the  Alaskan  gold  fields  are 
located  except  that  in  a  general  way  the  best  of  them 
are  along  the  Yukon.  There  are  a  few  "lode'*  mines 
near  Juneau  and  along  the  southeast  coast  of  the  ter- 
ritory (the  most  accessible  part  of  it),  but  the  ore  is 
of  low  grade  and  mming  is  made  profitable  only  by 
the  most  careful  management. 

AN  UNKNOWN  REGION. 

The  placer  mines,  from  whici:  prospectors  are  said 
now  to  be  lining  their  pockets  with  gold,  occupy  the 
prominent  place  in  the  popular  mind.  These  are  in 
the  region  remote  from  civilization,  little  known,  and, 
on  account  of  its  uncertainties,  dangerously  alluring 
to  the  average  man.  This  gold-producing  country 
is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Yukon  near  where  that  great 
river  turns  to  the  west.  Before  the  discoveries  in  the 
Klondyke  the  most  productive  districts  had  been 
along  Forty  Mile  creek,  partly  in  British  and  partly  in 
American  territory,  and  the  Birch  creek  district,  all  in 
American  territory. 

VERY  RICH  YIELDS. 

The  Klondyke  is  a  stream  emptying  into  the  Yu- 
kon, eighty  miles  above  the  boundary  line  of  Alaska, 
in  the  British  Northwest  Territory.  It  is  supposed  to 
be  about  125  miles  long,  heading  in  the  Rockies,  and 
is  a  rapid  river  running  in  a  northerly  direction. 
Bonanza  creek,  coming  in  one  and  one-half  miles  up 
from  the  mouth,  is  twenty-five  miles  long,  and  heads 
at  the  Dome,  a  big,  bold  hill,  as  do  a  number  of  lesser 
creeks.  It  runs  southwesterly.  El  Dorado  comes  in 
twelve  miles  up,  and  is  seven  miles  long,  running  in 


OrFIOIAL  OUIDB  TO  THE  KLONtl^rKE  COUNTRY 


I 


i  n 


I 


the  same  general  direction  as  does  Bonanza,  The 
pay  on  Bonanza  is  good  from  the  6o'8  below  the 
point  of  discovery,  where  one  claim  has  20  and  25 
cent  dirt,  with  the  pay  125  feet  wide,  up  to  forty-three 
above,  claim  No.  41  being  very  rich.  Gold  on  Bo- 
nanza is  finer  than  on  El  Dorado.  There  is  not  a 
blank  up  to  No.  38,  and  there  are  some  good  claims 
above  that  number.  The  richest  claims  are  in  the 
middle  of  the  gulch,  the  gold  there  being  coarse,  with 
lots  of  nuggets.  This,  with  the  fractions  of  claims, 
makes  nearly  twenty  miles  of  paying  ground. 

PROSPECTS  IN  THE  SIDE  GULCHES. 

In  addition  there  are  a  number  of  side  gulches  on 
which  good  prospects  have  been  discovered.  Bonan- 
za district,  it  is  estimated,  is  likely  to  produce  not  less 
than  $50,000,000  in  gold,  and  this  is  believed  to  be 
an  imderestimate  than  otherwise.  Hanker  creek 
empties  into  the  Klondyke  twelve  miles  up  and  is 
twenty  miles  long.  In  places  $2  and  $3  to  the  pan  on 
bedrock  have  been  found,  and  the  indications  are  that 
it  will  prove  a  rich-paying  creek.  Gold  Bottom,  a 
fork,  and  Last  Chance,  a  side  gulch,  show  up  equally 
well  for  a  considerable  distance.  These  comprise, 
with  Bear  creek,  which  comes  into  the  Klondyke  be- 
tween Bonanza  and  Hunker,  the  extent  of  territory 
6i  which  anything  certain  is  known.  Quartz  creek 
and  Indian  creek  are  reached  from  the  heads  of  Bo- 
nanza and  Hunker  and  they  have  also  some  pros- 
pects. The  country  rock  is  slate  and  mica  schist. 
Many  of  the  nuggets  are  full  of  quartz. 

MAY  MAKE  A  ROW. 

On  the  Pacific  coast  the  gold  excitement  has 
brought  up  the  issue  of  the  Alaskan  boundary.  From 
being  a  minor  question  of  geography  to  be  adjusted 
at  some  odd  interval,  the  boundary  now  presents  eco- 
nomic and  political  features  of  high  importance. 

It  is  declared  that  there  is  the  making  of  an  inter- 
national row  on  the  Yukon. 

"Whatever  doubt  has  been  cast  upon  the  fact  of  the 


AND  THE  GOLD  FIBLDI  OV  ALASKA. 


we- 


W 


whole  Klondyke  district  being  in  British  Columbia 
must  have  arisen  from  a  misunderstanding  of  the  dis-» 
pute  existing  upon  the  proper  location  of  tlip.i  part 
of  tii«  boundary  line  lyin,q:  eastward  and  southward  of 
Mount  St.  Elias.  The  north  or  meridian  line  of  the 
boundary  has  been  accurately  determined. 

DOMINION    GOVERNMENT   STIRRED. 

The  Dominion  government  claims  to  be  in  posses- 
sion of  authentic  reports  corroborative  of  th<e  first  ac- 
counts sent  out  of  the  marvelous  richness  of  the  new 
placer  diggings  in  the  Yukon  and  Klondyke  regions, 
and  the  organization  of  the  di^ii  -t  will  be  completed. 

Two  years  ago  the  Departmeiu  of  the  Interior  dis- 
patched a  force  of  20  northwe  t  mounted  policemen 
to  Fort  Cudahy,  on  the  Cari  Jian  "ide  of  the  Alaskan 
frontier. 

This  work  of  organization  was  lirst  suggested  to  the 
government  by  the  North  /i.merican  Trading  and 
Transportation  Company,  which  was  anxious  that  the 
British  territory  should  be  administered  so  as  to  guar- 
antee the  safety  of  its  interests. 

It  was  not  undertaken  by  the  Dominion  authorities, 
however,  until  the  surveying  parties  then  in  the  field 
had  more  or  less  definitely  located  the  141  <5t  meridian 
of  west  longitude,  which  forms  the  bonnda.y  between 
Alaska  and  the  Canadian  northwest  territory  from 
Mount  St.  Elias  to  the  shores  of  the  Arctic. 

CHARGES  OF  LAND  GRABBING. 

When  this  had  been  accomplished  and  the  erection 
of  police  posts  began,  grumblings  from  the  Seattle 
and  other  American  coast  newspapers  reached  the  ears 
of  the  government  here. 

It  was  boldly  charged  that  the  Canadians  were  grab- 
bing territory  in  Alaska  that  did  not  belong  to  them. 
William  Ogilvie,  chief  of  the  Canadian  interndl  boun- 
dary survey,  set  all  doubts  at  rest  as  regards  the 
Canadian  posts  by  reporting  that  the  observations  of 
the  Canadian  and  American  parties  as  to  the  boundary 
differed  but  a  few  feet — six  feet  at  Forty  Mile  camp 
and  six  at  Cudahy. 


''-■■'■  ',''  '.'.■'''      ",■'■'■,      .    '  f      /    '  ■  " 
'.'■■*     '''      ''■','■■'■'       ■'^''     .     ' 

M     prFIOlAL  OUIDB  TO  YfiBS  BiiOKDhrKSI  COUMTItT 

NEW  POST  BETNG  CONSTRUCTED. 

Constantine's  last  report,  which  has  just  been  re- 
ceived, says  that  he  is  building  a  third  post  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Klondyke  river,  which  flows  into  the 
Yukon  on  the  east  side,  about  50  miles  southeast  ol 
Forty  Mile.    He  has  asked  for  a  larger  force. 

In  this  his  suggestion  has  been  anticipated,  as  well 
as  in  the  appointment  of  a  gold  commissioner,  while 
a  Pacific  coast  firm  is  being  negotiated  with  few  the 
supply  of  a  steam  launch  to  ply  as  police  boat  between 
Klondyke,  Forty  Mile  and  Cudahy. 

ALASKA  RICHER  THAN  KLONDYKE. 

A  scientific  expert  of  the  coast  survey  declares  that 
there  are  richer  gold  fields  in  Alaska  than  Klondyke. 
He  says: 

"I  went  through  Alaska  as  a  member  of  the  bound- 
ary commission,  and  am  very  familiar  with  the  valley 
of  the  Yukon  and  the  surrounding  country.  The 
greatest  activity  in  placer  miring  is  now  in  the  British 
possessions,  about  forty  miles  east  of  the  141st  merid- 
ian, which  is  our  boundary.  But  if  you  look  at  the  map 
and  see  where  gold  has  been  found,  you  will  observe 
that  all  the  lodes  seem  to  lead  into  Alaska. 

"There  is  a  certain  regularity  about  gold  findings. 
South  of  the  Klondyke  in  British  Columbia  is  the  Car- 
iboo region,  which  was  the  scene  of  a  former  gold  ex- 
citement. Crews  on  vessels  deserted,  and  there  was 
the  same  sort  of  a  rush,  on  a  smaller  scale,  that  we 
have  seen  in  the  Klondyke.  Then  directly  east  of  the 
'Pa.n-Handle'  of  our  Alaska  territory  is  the  celebrated 
Cassir  country.  Here  are  the  head  waters  of  the  Felly 
river,  and  the  confluence  of  the  Lewis  and  the  Pelly 
makes  the  Yukon.  The  richness  of  the  Cassir  country 
has  long  been  known,  and  it  belongs  to  the  same  gen- 
eral trend,  geologically  speaking,  as  the  Klondyke. 
This  trend  is  parallel  to  the  west  coast  of  the  continent. 
Wherever  the  tributaries  of  these  rivers  have  been 
prospected  gold  has  generally  been  found.  Forty  Mile 
creek,  Sixty  Mile  creek  and  Birch  creek  are  instances 


.If. 


i 


Alto  TBS  OOtD  FIBLZn  OF  ALAJIXA. 


in 


i#^lit.  The  head  waters  of  all  these  streams  are  in 
a  group  of  mountains,  the  area  of  which  is  probably 
a  thousand  square  miles.  It  is  mostly  unexplored,  but 
largely  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  and 
it  is  probably  rich  in  gold.  Of  the  country  farther 
north  we  know  little  as  yet,  although  it  is  well  watered 
and  belongs  to  the  same  mountain  range.  It  »s  entire- 
ly likely  that  placer  mining  can  be  carried  on  through 
this  country  for  a  distance  of  500  miles. 

A  FORTUNATE  CIRCUMSTANCE. 

"The  prospect  of  finding  most  of  the  gold  in  our 
own  territory  is  very  fortunate.  The  Canadians  will 
doubtless  devise  some  way  of  discriminating  against 
alien  laborers  in  their  territory ,either  by  taxation  or  by 
a  more  direct  restriction.  If  we  have  gold  fields  of  our 
own  on  our  side  of  the  line  perhaps  the  two  countries 
may  treat  each  other  with  reciprocal  courtesy. 

"I  am  much  impressed  with  the  opportunities  for 
profit  in  other  things  in  Alaska  besides  this  gold.  The 
fisheries  of  the  coast  are  most  remarkable,  and  when 
fully  developed  may  yield  larger  returns  than  the 
mines.  Then  the  coal,  now  that  a  population  is  going 
into  the  country  which  will  want  to  use  it,  is  a  very  im- 
portant thing." 

GREAT  TREADWELL  MINE. 

Over  across  the  channel  from  Juneau  is  probably 
the  most  stupendous  gold-mining  proposition  in  the 
world,  and  its  success  is  all  based  on  the  ability  of  the 
metallurgist  to  separate  and  recover  the  fin^jly  pow- 
dered gold  that  is  hidden  in  a  million  times  its  bulk 
of  worthless  rock.  The  task  of  locating  a  needle  in 
a  haystack  v/ould  seem  a  May-day  diversion  by  the 
side  of  it,  yet  it  is  in  this  same  ratio  that  the  great 
Treadwell  makes  $2,000  a  day. 

The  mine  is  located  on  Douglas  island,  across  the 
channel  a  mile  from  the  mainland.  A  great  ledge  of 
quartzite,  250  feet  across,  extends  up  and  down  the 
shore  for  an  unknown  distance.  The  ore  that  has 
been  worked  in  the  few  years  that  the  mine  has  been 
in  operation  may  be  one-tenth  and  it  may  not  be  on«- 


\l 


i*V  fi^.;.?.: 


!;«#|.,:;;h;  >jn,  rif-y;  l-:^ff:^'''s^:*:-:00  '■:  "1^1^ ;?:: 'iri-!?*!^:'^'^!!,-  ^$ 


Wf  t 


thottsandth  part  of  the  whole  available  mass.  In 
color  it  is  a  dead  white,  flecked  sparsely  with  little 
l->arren-looking  cubes  of  sulphufet,  but  throughout 
ttje  whole  thickness  of  the  vein  there  is  hardly  any 
variation  in  its  appearance  or  value. 

METHOD  OF  PLACER  MINING. 

In  view  of  the  keen  attention  manifested  by  the 
general  public  in  regard  to  the  recent  marvelous  dis- 
coveries of  gold  in  the  Klondyke  region,  the  follow- 
ing description  of  the  process  of  placer  mining,  taken 
from  an  official  report  of  William  Ogilvie,  a  Canadian 
government  surveyor,  may  be  of  interest.  Mr.  Ogil- 
vie has  spent  much  time  in  the  Yukon  country,  and 
this  extract  is  taken  from  his  report  for  last  year: 

"The  process  of  placer  mining  is  about  as  follows: 
After  clearing  all  the  coarse  gravel  and  stones  off  a 
patch  of  ground,  the  miner  lifts  a  little  of  the  firmer 
gravel  or  sand  in  his  pan,  which  is  a  broad,  sha'Jow 
dish,  made  of  strong  sheetiron ;  he  then  puts  in  water 
enough  to  fill  the  pan  and  gives  it  a  few  rapid  whirls 
and  shakes;  this  tends  to  bring  the  gold  to  the  bottom 
on  account  of  its  greater  specific  gravity.  The  dish 
is  then  shaken  and  held  in  such  a  way  that  the  gravel 
and  sand  are  gradually  washed  out  care  being  taken 
to  avoid  letting  out  the  finer  and  heavier  parts  that 
have  settled  to  the  bottom.  Finally  all  that  is  left  in 
the  pan  is  whatever  gold  may  have  been  in  the  dish, 
and  some  black  sand  which  almost  invariably  accom- 
panies it.  This  black  sand  is  nothing  but  pulverized 
magnetic  iron  ore. 

"Should  the  gold  thus  found  be  fine,  the  contents 
of  the  pan  are  thrown  into  a  barrel  containing  water 
and  a  pound  or  two  of  mercury.  As  soon  as  the  gold 
comes  in  contact  with  the  mercury,  it  combines  and 
forms  an  amalgam.  This  process  is  continued  until 
enough  amalgam  has  been  formed  to  pay  for  'roasting' 
or  'firing.*  ft  is  then  squeezed  through  a  buckskin 
bag,  all  the  mercury  that  comes  through  the  bag  being 
put  back  into  the  barrel  to  serve  again,  and  what  re- 
mains in  the  bag  is  placed  in  a  retort,  if  the  miner  has 


^{p^rT,T:-T:^?^iW^W'^^^<^, 


;,;;!*W':>'j!-'; 


"•;'!:■;;:,  w^mX'.'i!^a''iiSp', 


.1 


AND  THB  <30U»  niiLXM  CHT  AlJiflKA- 


one,  or,  if  not,  on  a  shovel,  and  heated  until  nearly  aU 
the  mercury  is  vaporized.  The  gold  then  remains  in  a 
lump  with  some  mercury  still  held  in  combination  with 
it.  This  is  called  the  'p£.n'  or  'hand'  method,  and  is 
never,  on  account  of  its  slowness  and  laboriousness, 
continued  for  any  length  of  time  when  it  is  possible 
to  procure  a  'rocker/  or  to  make  and  work  sluices. 

SLUICING  FOR  GOLD. 

"Sluicing  is  always  employed  when  possible.  It  re- 
quires a  good  supply  of  water,  with  sufficient  head  or 
fall.  The  process  is  as  follows:  Planks  are  procured 
and  formed  into  a  box  of  suitable  width  and  depth. 
Slats  are  fixed  across  the  bottom  of  the  box  at  suitable 
intervals,  or  shallow  holes  bored  in  the  bottom  in 
such  order  that  no  particle  could  run  along  the  bottom 
in  a  straight  line  and  escape  running  over  a  hole.  Sev- 
eral of  these  boxes  are  then  set  up  with  a  considerable 
slope,  and  are  fitted  into  one  another  at  the  ends,  like 
a  stovepipe.  A  stream  of  water  is  now  directed  into 
the  upper  end  of  the  highest  box.  The  gravel  having 
been  collected,  as  in  the  case  of  the  r»cker,  it  is 
shoveled  into  the  upper  box,  and  is  washed  down- 
ward by  the  strong  current  of  water.  The  gold  is  de- 
tained by  its  weight,  and  is  held  by  the  slats  or  in  the 
holes  mentioned ;  if  it  is  fine,  mercury  is  placed  behind 
the  slats  or  in  these  holes  to  catch  ii. 

"In  this  way  about  three  times  as  much  dirt  can  be 
washed  as  by  the  rocker,  and  consequently  three  times 
as  much  gold  can  be  secured  in  a  given  time. 

"A  great  many  of  the  miners  spend  their  time  in  the 
.■>ummer  prospecting,  and  in  the  winter  resort  to  what 
is  called  'burning.'  They  make  fires  on  the  surface, 
thus  thawing  the  ground  until  the  bedrock  is  reached. 
The  pay  dirt  is  brought  to  the  surface  and  heaped  in  a 
pile  until  spring,  when  water  can  be  obtained.  The 
sluice  boxes  are  then  set  up  and  the  dirt  is  washed  cut, 
thus  enabling  the  miner  to  work  advantageously  and 
profitably  the  year  round.  This  method  has  been 
ifound  very  satisfactory  in  places  where  the  pay  streak 
is  at  any-  great  depth  from  the  surface.    In  this  way 


'I 


!ii 


ii 

v] 


m::H' 


1-^  ■•■■.;•■. 


■' •  "Ji; 


*   l:v' 


the  GOmplatnt  is  overcome  which  has  beeti  so  com* 
tnoii|}(  advanced  by  miners  ahd  others  that  in  the 
Ytt^cbii  several  months  of  the  year  are  lost  in  idle> 
rfieii" 

RELATIVE  COST  OF  MINING  GOLD. 

A  most  interesting  but  unique  compilation  of  the 
reiative  cost  of  mining  ore  and  extracting  the  gold 
at  the  principal  mines  of  the  country  has  been  made 
by  an  American  mining  enfjineer  of  experience  and 
ability. 

The  mines  about  which  he  gives  information  include 
those  of  Africa,  Venezuela,  Alaska  and  the  United 
States.  The  report  is  especially  interesting  in  view  of 
reports  from  the  gold  fields  of  Alaska,  which  are  just 
now  attr.icting  great  attention  by  reason  of  their  un- 
usual richness.  From  the  expert's  report  it  is  learned 
that  the  cost  of  mining  gold  in  Alaska  is  much  cheaper 
than  in  the  far-famed  mines  of  South  Africa. 

Much  information  was  given  concerning  the  Trans- 
vaal mines,  and,  in  fact,  the  report  is  the  only  reliable 
one  that  ha»  been  published.  The  reefs  of  the  Wit- 
watersrand  are  conglomerate  beds  which  have  been 
traced  for  some  fifty  miles,  showing  varymg  thickness 
and  gold  value,  and  have  been  probed  a  vertical  depth 
of  3fi30  feet.  The  excellence  of  the  African  mines 
seems  not  to  be  due  to  their  richness  but  rather  to  the 
continuous  bodies  of  gold  of  a  moderate  grade.  It 
was  estimated  by  Hamilton  Smith  in  1893  *^hat  w'th- 
jn  the  then  recognized  paying  area  of  the  Witwators- 
rand  there  was  probably  $1,625,000,000  worth  of  gold 
to  be  extracted,  while  Professor  Becker  estimated 
twice  that  amount.  Taking  Professor  Becker's  esti- 
i^ate  at  the  present  rate  at  which  gold  is  being  taken 
out,  the  mines  would  have  a  life  of  about  ninety  years. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  life  of  the  mines  will  be  shorter  i 
because  of  the  increased  activity  which  is  shown. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  SECOND  TREATMENT. 

An  interesting  feature  noticed  from  the  tables  is  that 
the  yield  from  secondary  treatment  is  $howa  to  tne  lu 


^"^'MWt 


:*&;)'. 


^■*\,»v '"   .■■■■>'.^:-'' ''■]<■■[-      '■' --y''' ■;.'''-■  .'.'^fi '.,':"'■■:.  ■■','  \"'--'}-,.  ■'    1  ^v!^.;  I  '.,.■' '■:'>»-'aii[ 

i.i4d  per  ton  i>ti  the  t>asi8  of  tonnajge  mined,  with  a 
profit  of  Ss  io.8<f.  From  which  it  is  evident  that  of 
the  total  profit  obtained  by  the  combined  treatment 
92  per  cent  came  from  the  secondary  treatment,  with- 
out which  not  even  the  richest  mines  could  have  paid 
dividends. 

Comparisons  with  other  mines  are  difficult  because 
of  the  varying  conditions,  but  those  made  here  have 
value.  The  first  mine  considered  in  the  comparison  is 
the  Alaska  Treadwell  mine,  which  is  compared  with 
the  Crown  Reef  conditions.  It  is  shown  that  stores 
for  which  the  Alaska  mine  would  have  had  to  pay  ii2,- 
651  would  have  cost  the  Crown  Reef  mines  £3S,324. 
The  Crown  Reef  Company  is  compelled  on  this  basis 
to  pay  5s  6d  more  for  stores  per  ton  on  their  tonnage 
of  198,236. 

The  following  table  showi.  the  comparative  cost  per 
ton  milled  at  the  Crown  Reef  mine  and  the  Alaska 
Treadwell,  the  figures  being  converted  at  the  rate  of 
24  cents  to  the  shilling: 

—Crown  Reef—     —Treadwell— 
Per  Ton.  Per  Ct.  Per  Ton.  Per  Ct 

Labor $3.72  57.98    $0.70  63.78 

Coal 62  9.79  10  8.57 

Dynamite 58  9. 11  10  8.37 

Cyanide  zinc  and  royalty . .  40  6.35  . .  •    

Timber 10  1.55  2  0.79 

Steel,  mining 8  1.32  2  0.72 

Oils 6  0.87  2  0.92 

Candles 8  1.20  2  0,23 

Mill  spares 10  1.52  8  6.54 

Fuse  and  decorators 4  0.57  2  i  .02 

Trucks,  wheels  and  rails. . .  4  0.69  2  o.oi 

Pipes  and  fittings 2  0.36  2  0,50 

General  expense 56  8.79  4  3.46 

.,          Chlorination  supplies 6  5.09 

Total  cost  per  ton $6.40  loo.oo    $1.12  100.00 


:.» 


'      ,   U 


%f 


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BROSPECTI^  FOR  B|0,:irt^LI>. 

l|oa;  C'  B.  Mcintosh,  governor  of  the  Northwest 
t^i?nitory  freely  vouches  Tor  the  truthlulnesB  Of  the 
slbOiries  sent  out  as  to  the  richness  of  the  hew  diggings, 
j^e  estimates  that  the  Klondyke  and  its  trtbutaines 
yielded  over  $3,000,000  in  gold  last  winter.  Of  this 
amount,  he  says  $2,000,000  and  upward  came  via  tne 
steamships  Portland  and  Excelsior.  More  than  $i,>. 
000,000  m  dust,  he  says,  is  now  stored  away  in  the 
^cabins  of  the  miners  along  the  creek  being  developed. 

"The  British  Yukon  yield  of  gold  for  1897,"  the  gov- 
ernor said,  "will  not  be  less  than  $10,000,000."  He 
says  surveyors  are  now  at  work  trying  to  ascertain  tlie 
feasibility  of  a  construction  of  railroad  into  the  Yu- 
kon. One  route  contemplates  a  line  of  steamers  from 
Fort  Wrangel  up  the  Sty  ken  river. 

"It  appears,"  he  says,  'that  four  or  five  millions 
have  been  taken  out  by  the  gold  huntiers  in  a  few 
months.  It  must  be  remembered  that  this  has  been 
done  by  a  few  persons  and  under  unfavorable  condi- 
tions. It  is  fair  to  assume,  therefore,  that  if  the  re- 
ports we  have  are  well  founded,  the  gold  product  of 
this  region  will  equal  that  of  California  at  its  best.  It 
will  probably  produce  $50,000,000  a  year. 

"This  will  not  be  put  away,  but  for  the  most  part 
will  go  into  circulation.  It  may  be  anticipated,  there- 
fore, that  the  volume  of  circulating  money  will  be  con- 
siderably increased  each  year,  after  a  year  or  two,  and 
that  it  will  have  a  generally  beneficial  effect  upon  the 
business  of  the  country. 

Though  it  is  not  generally  known,  Senator  Jones,  of 
Nevada,  is  extensively  interested  in  Alaska.  His  com- 
pany, the  Juneau,  is  said  to  be  running  the  largest 
stamp  mill  in  the  world.  They  are  working  from  grade 
ore,  but  are  clearing  a  profit,  it  is  said,  of  between 
$500,000  and  $600,000  a  year. 


^Piaii!^; 


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